


Coffee 'n' Chill

by IGetLostInBooks_2506



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Lydia owns a cafe, Music, Sexual Content, Stiles is a musician, past friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 08:16:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9647732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IGetLostInBooks_2506/pseuds/IGetLostInBooks_2506
Summary: Lydia has a successful cafe, Stiles is the lead singer in a band, they haven't spoken for six years. What happens when he plays a gig at the mall where her cafe is?





	1. Nostalgia

**Author's Note:**

> Just something that popped into my head. I just had to get it down and out there. Don't worry, this won't affect 'Never Forget'. I will probably update them at the same time. Maybe. ;-)
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Nostalgia.  
A sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past_

She watches from the elevator bank, as the crowd in front of her builds. Of course they're all here to see him. Of course he doesn't know that she owns the cafe across from where he'll be performing. Doesn't know much about her at all anymore. She on the other hand knows everything about him. Only twenty two years of age and he and his band are the biggest selling artists in the music industry at the moment. Hit the scene two years ago, and have taken the world by storm.

They went to the same school together, were even really good friends, best friends, at one stage. She's not quite sure what happened, but one minute they were sharing each other's secrets, then the next they weren't talking anymore. If she had to hazard a guess, she would say it was because of Jackson. Stiles was never shy about how he felt about her then boyfriend. The two would never be able to exist in her world at the same time. So she made a choice, one she regrets everyday.

He use to joke that he knew her better than everyone else, and in hindsight that was probably true, because back then, she would've said the same about him too. But when Jackson came on the scene, that's when the cracks in their friendship began to appear. They stopped texting. They stopped ringing and then during the summer before Junior year, he was gone. Moved to LA. It's been nearly six years since she last spoke to Stiles Stilinski.

She shakes the memories away as she navigates her way through the crowd towards her cafe. _Hers_. Twenty Two years of age and she is the proud owner of one of the busiest cafes in this town. She unlocks and slides back the bifold doors, before closing them behind her again. She goes about getting everything set up. It's a hip little place, with a free wifi station, and a winding staircase that leads to a book corner, with a sofa and two armchairs.

Through her doors, she can see, in the open space opposite her shop, there is a stage set up and people are pottering around setting up microphones, drums and sound equipment. There is a barricade set up around it all. They are celebrities after all. She shakes her head and continues to pull down chairs, turns the espresso machine on, and gets ready for the day. With the extra attention that is Iced Wolves, business should be good today.

Two of her senior staff members, knock on the door, she opens it again to let them in.

"Morning Lyds." Both ladies greet as they move through the doors.

"Hey guys." Lydia replies.

"Wow, some shops haven't even opened yet and there's hundreds of people here." Kira states as she moves towards the staff room behind the kitchen.

"Well, when someone as famous as Iced Wolves play, It's sure to bring in the hoards." Hayden adds in a sarcastic tone, following Kira.

Once there, all three grab their aprons from the hooks near the lockers and head back out. Kira is the cook and Hayden is the head Barista. Technically being the owner of the place, Lydia doesn't really need to be there, but she loves getting amongst her customers, loves to get her hands dirty. She does a bit of everything, from making the coffees, to waiting on her regulars. More often than not she can be found in the back doing the books.

Malia, Erica and Mason are her full time wait staff and just as Lydia comes down from the book corner, the three employees walk in. They all know how to use the espresso machine and Mason sometimes helps Kira out back with the cooking.

"Hey guys." Lydia greets happily.

"Hey boss." They respond in unison.

After the morning hello's they all get to work. It's five minutes to nine o'clock. So the doors are opened, tables and chairs moved out underneath the awning, just outside the doors and then it's business as usual. Their first customers are regulars. Every morning at nine on the dot they're there. A darling old couple who have been coming since the first day Lydia opened the place. They do however look a little disgruntled this morning, because of the crowd.

"Hi Ethel, Harold." Lydia says as she leads them to their usual table. "What can I get for you this morning?"

"Ah Miss Lydia, you are a breath of Spring." Harold states with a hand over his chest, causing Lydia to blush.

Ethel swats his arm.

"Stop being such a flirt." She scolds, then gives Lydia a smile as she requests their usual. "What's with all the people out there."

"Didn't you hear?" Lydia whispers with a smirk. "We have celebrities here today."

At their wide eyes, Lydia walks away to get their order, chuckling as she reels off instructions to Hayden and Kira.

By ten am they are swamped. A revolving door of customers streaming in and out. Mostly parents of all the teenagers that are now getting restless outside. Coffee 'n' Chill is doing a fairly sound trade this morning and it's not even lunch time yet. At around eleven am, Lydia is outside serving two women who look like they haven't slept in days. Just as she places their coffee in front of them she hears the screams start and then she hears his voice.

_"Good morning everybody, how are you all this fine day.?"_

The screams erupt. The clapping thunderous and all Lydia can do is stare at the boy she hasn't seen in nearly six years. Damn he looks good.

_"Thanks so much for giving up your Saturday morning to come down and see us. As you all know we're doing a string of Mall tours to raise money for suicide awareness, so during the set, there will be some people coming around with tins, even if you only have a couple of quarters, every little thing counts."_

Lydia stands there wide eyed and mouth agape. His undying goodness makes her heart beat a little faster.

_"So, introductions."_ He begins _._

Really? Like everyone in this place doesn't know their names.

_"On Drums, we have Isaac..."_ The crowd cheers as he drums out a beat.

_"On base, we have Scott...."_ Cheering gets louder again as he waves out to the swarm of faces.

_"Our beautiful, wonderful talented keyboardist, Allison...."_

_"And I'm Stiles...."_ The increase of screams, cheers and applause doesn't go unnoticed by Lydia. _"Together we're Iced Wolves."_

The intro to one of their number one hits starts and it takes Malia shaking her to bring Lydia back to earth.

"Hey, you ok?" She asks as she leads Lydia back inside.

Of course she would be concerned, she doesn't know that Lydia use to be best friends with the lead singer. She doesn't know that they use to drive around some nights just because they could. She doesn't know that he was the first person to realise how smart Lydia was and called her out on it when she tried to play dumb. She doesn't know that Stiles was there for Lydia when her parents divorced. No one knows except her and Stiles.

"Yeah I'm fine, lets get back to work."

The next hour she didn't have time to think about the past and when Stiles announced they'd be singing their last song, Lydia felt the weight fall off her shoulders. She had listened to every one of the six songs they sung and she will admit they sound better live than they do on the radio and this last song is no exception. It's their latest one, off their album that will be released next month. His voice is like velvet, smooth and decadent, and the words he spins, remind her of days gone by.

After Iced Woves finish their set, they're apparently doing signings at the music store a few shops down from her cafe. With the very real possibility of seeing Stiles, she heads on up to the book corner and pretends to tidy up. She loves this part of her cafe. The soft earthy tones of the sofa and armchair, the wooden book stands. Sometimes she comes up here just so she can look over the edge of the wall at her thriving store.

She moves to return a book, left on the coffee table, to the low lying book stand, that sits against the wooden clad half wall, that overlooks the cafe. She leans her hip against the stand with her arms crossed over her chest and a proud smile sitting on her lips. The shop is two months away from being opened for a year and Lydia can't believe what a success it has been. The happiest year in her opinion.

She watches as her staff navigate their way around. Her eyes scan the tables and flit to where Hayden mans the espresso machine, working it like a fine instrument. She smiles at the customers as she gives them their coffee to take away. Mason, Malia and Erica interact with the customers like they're old friends. When she moves her eyes to look to the tables outside, she inhales sharply. There, entering her cafe is Stiles Stilinski.

~

He is still amazed at the crowds they manage to pull. Even at something like this, where it's all about charity. He can't believe the rise to fame that has been their lives for the last two years. A small band of friends, playing every second weekend at their local watering hole. Then one day some sort of music scout came up to them and offered them a deal. Small at first. Just playing at a few charity events and more high end pubs, but it was the start they were looking for.

When they first walked into a recording studio, he was sure he was going to have a panic attack. He was nervous, excited and couldn't believe that someone wanted to record their songs. He and Scott are the ones that write most of the songs and didn't think they would ever be listened to by millions of people around the world. Their first album released and it soared to number one in an instant. Next thing they knew they were booking gigs at arenas and stadiums.

He was more nervous for this gig at the shopping mall, than he had been in a long while. He knew she was here in this town. She didn't leave like he did. Not that it was his fault. His dad was transferred to LA the summer befor Sophmore year of Highschool. However they hadn't spoken for a while before that. All because of fucking Jackson Whittemore. The schools top dog. And number one asshole. He came in and swept Lydia off her feet, right out from under Stiles' nose.

He had loved her for the longest time. Pretty much since the first day they met. He figured out early on that she was way out of his league. Popular and smart, she was the queen of Highschool even in their Freshman year. He pushed his feelings aside and instead concentrated on being the best friend he could be. Everything was going fine, but when he finally had the nerve to ask her to the winter formal, he was too late, and Lydia was now Jacksons girlfriend.

In all honesty, she was kind of the reason he got into this business. He just wanted to forget about everything that had happened. So three weeks after he started at his new school, he was playing around with a guitar in the music room, when Scott walked past and heard him strumming the notes and singing along to Green Day's 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams'. Scott told Stiles that they were looking for a guitarist and lead singer for their band, the rest is history.

Being part of a iced Wolves did everything he wanted it to do. He got to write music, sing songs and play guitar with three people who he now considers his best friends. It took his mind of all his problems with a certain strawberry blonde back in Beacon Hills as well. It helped him get through the move to LA and being labelled as the new kid. He sighs at the memories before signing another cd for a younger fan.

He greeted everyone of their fans with the same exuberance and happily signed CDs and posed for photos. If it wasn't for these people, they wouldn't be where they are today, so it feels right to give back in any sort of way. Humbling almost. They keep him grounded and aware of where he came from and where he started out. After an hour of meeting with their fans, their entourage start to pack up the CDs, posters and sharpies.

After thanking everyone for their time and effort, the band starts to head to the elevator bank that will take them down to the two cars waiting down in the carpark. They're nearly there, when Stiles pulls up in front of a bustling cafe. The smell of caffeine invading his nostrils as well as something heavenly sweet. They haven't eaten since breakfast at the hotel this morning, maybe they could just pop in for a coffee and a Danish.

"Hey guys, who wants coffee." He asks, looking behind him.

He sees them all collectively growl with want and they nod their heads yes. Their security guards don't seen too impressed but Stiles just tells them he'll only be a minute and then they can carry on. So after collecting everyone's orders, he goes to walk inside. He looks over his shoulder to see that his band and their guards have taken two tables outside. He smiles knowing how exhausted everyone is.

He steps in and the cafe feels warm and welcoming and smells fucking fantastic. He lets his eyes scan over the busy shop, taking in the decor and inhaling the aroma surrounding him. He moves in line to wait his turn and continues to let his eyes wander. He is very aware of the wide glances and people whispering around him. He just smiles knowing that they'll probably be gossiping about this for day. _'Stiles from Iced Wolves getting coffee at local cafe'._

He's only two people from the front when he notices the staircase in the corner. He lets his eyes travel the length of it before settling on what appears to be an extension of the shop. He can't see much from where he's standing, but his interest is definitely piqued. He's greeted by a pretty Blonde girl behind the counter, who sends him a beautiful smile. She knows who he is, he can tell by the look she is sending him. Her badge reads 'Erica'.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?"

No bells and whistles, for which he is thankful.

"Hi, aah, two large blacks, no sugar, a latte weak, two sugars and a cappuccino with one sugar."

"No problem, is that to have here or takeaway?" She asks as her eyes drift to where the rest of the band is.

He follows her gaze and turns back setting her with a smile.

"Takeaway thanks."

She tells him the cost, he pays, then she hands him a little plastic card with a number on it and asks him to wait at the end of the counter. He moves to the end, leaning against it with his feet crossed and hands in his pockets. He pulls out his phone, knowing he has at least a five minute wait and pulls up his personal Facebook page. He isn't sure why he does it and it's not something he's done for a long time, but he finds himself typing in Lydia's name and hitting search.

He clicks on her photos and thumbs through. She's still as beautiful as ever and Stiles finds himself suddenly interested in what she has been up to. There are photos of what looks to be like vacations and family get togethers. Birthday parties and social outings. He smiles when in one photo she is lifting a baby into the air and making a puckering motion with her lips. It was titled, _'Happy 1st Birthday to my handsome godson'_. Lydia was always good with kids.

When he comes across what looks to be a business sign and then consequential photos of her with a paintbrush in her hand as she coats the walls a beige colour, tables and chairs that for some reason look familiar, his eyebrows crease in confusion. There's a room with comfy looking armchairs and book stands. A winding staircase. When a group picture comes up and he recognises the girl from behind the counter, his head flies up to scan the room.

This is her place. Every single picture matches up with something in the cafe. And he knows, because it is definitely her style. He moves his eyes back and forth trying to find her familiar strawberry blond hair. He doesn't see her anywhere. Maybe she has the day off, or maybe she's a behind the scenes person. It's not until the girl behind the counter calls out his number and his eyes have moved to the staircase, that he sees a flash of red disappearing through a back door.

~


	2. Optimism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say about this chapter except I hope it's ok.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators
> 
> 'Disconnected' and 'Long Way Home' belong to 5 Seconds of Summer.

_Optimism  
Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something._

She stands with her back against the kitchen door. Her chest heaving and thoughts running a mile a minute. She chastises herself for being such a coward. It's just Stiles. Sure he's a celebrity now, but they're not teenagers anymore. There's no reasonable explanation as to why she couldn't have just walked down the stairs and gone up to him and said hello. Like the adult she actually is. She sighs and pushes off the door and heads through to the kitchen.

She moves as quietly as she can to the staff room at the back. She takes off her apron, and falls into the chair that sits along the back wall. She sits there quiet for a bit wallowing in regret, before deciding to go through the books. Well not literally books, but she fires up the computer and starts going through all the sales from today. She's surprised by the numbers. It's only two thirty and the sales are up by fifty percent from yesterday.

Of course it has everything to do with the band that played only an hour ago. Parents and guardians seeking solace as their teenagers scream and shout at the quartet up on the stage. She finds herself thinking about how that all came about for him. She didn't even know he could play a guitar, let alone sing. How did that never come up in any of their late night drives or study sessions? Is it something he took up once he was in LA or is it something he has always been able to do?

She remembers when he use to sing along to the radio in his jeep, that he didn't sound half bad. Better than her tone deaf musings. She vaguely remembers him being in a talent quest back at the start of middle school, before his mom died, but can't remember if he was any good. They hadn't been friends then. That anomaly happened in their last year of middle school. And it happened quite by accident.

They had been partnered together for a science project. Of course at thirteen years of age, being partnered with a boy was the end of the earth. However she was pleasantly surprised at how smart he was. They had a lot more in common than she ever imagined they would. And pretty much after that first science project they became friends. They begged the teacher to be partners on any joint project, they sat together at lunch and they would hang out at the park together.

After ten minutes of crunching numbers, she realises she's so distracted by everything Stiles, that her head is starting to hurt. She pinches the bridge of her nose, moves to gathers her things and goes back into the kitchen to find Kira. With her head thumping and memories of Stiles swirling around in her brain, shes so distracted she doesn't see Mason standing in front of her and accidentally bumps into him.

"Hey boss, you alright?" He asks as he grabs her arms to stop her from stumbling over.

"Sorry, yeah just a bit preoccupied." She replies. "I'm heading home, I'm just gonna let Kira know."

Hey just nods his head and walks back out to the serving area. She finds Kira chopping up onions.

"Hey Kira, I'm going to head out for the day. You ok to lock up?"

"You ok?" She asks concern written all over her face.

"Yeah, just have a bit of a headache. Tell the others that I've headed home and that I'll see them on Monday."

"Sure, feel better." Kira answers as she watches Lydia turn and head towards the side door.

She stands at the door with her hand on the handle, desperately hoping that he has left. She takes two deep breaths before pulling the door open, peeking her head out the frame, trying to locate his messy hair. When she sees him talking animatedly to Erica, she slips out, pretty much scales the walls as she deviates around him, out the bifold doors, past the rest of the band and almost running to the elevator bank. She presses the button urgently, willing it to come faster.

Once she is safely inside the elevator she releases a heavy sigh and again chastises herself for being so childish. Then of its own accord her mind keeps drifting back to when they were friends. The laughs they use to share, the fun they use to have when they went bowling or to the movies. How they would be each other's beards if ever there was someone getting a bit too close at a party or at school. The late night text messages that would have her laughing herself to sleep.

She's bought out of her trip down memory lane when the elevator dings it's arrival to the basement carpark. She meanders through the parking garage and makes her way to her car. Her phone buzzes in her bag, but she ignores it. She's just about there when she hears running footsteps approaching her. She walks a little faster, because somehow she knows it's him. She is just about to open the door, when she hears him call her name.

Her hand stills and her heart beat becomes erratic. Suddenly she is in a tailspin and just wants him to go away. She doesn't want to deal with all the emotions that have been coarsing through her since she saw him up on that stage. She listens has his footsteps slow down, indicating he is only probably only a few steps behind her. _Shit!_ He says her name again, softly this time, pleading almost. She takes in a deep breath before releasing it and turning the to face her past.

She's shocked at how close he actually is. So close that she can see the moles dotting his face and his Adam's apple bobbing. She pulls her shit together and brings her eyes level with his. God he is beautiful. Older and more bulked up, but not jock style, more like he has been taking really good care of himself. His eyes are still that gorgeous colour of caramel that she use to get lost in sometimes. She closes her eyes briefly letting the memories wash over her.

Then she opens them slowly to be met with a small smile from Stiles

"Stiles." She greets in a sombre tone.

"Hey." He answers his tone filled with something she can't quite discern. "How....how are you?"

"Good....great actually." Her eyes drifting to what she thinks might be a tattoo. "You?"

The conversation is stilted and so not how they use to be.

"Can't complain." His hand goes to his hair and he pulls a little on the ends of it.

"Ah....you guys sound really good by the way. Congratulations."

She notices a blush take over his cheeks and she can't help remembering how she use to think it was a good look on him.

"Thanks. You seem to have done well for yourself too."

"I have." No point sugar coating it, it is what it is.

His eyes drop to his feet. Then there's silence, deafening silence. It surrounds them like death at a funeral and it just feels wrong. They stay like that for the longest time, before Lydia can't handle it anymore. The proximity, the awkwardness, the underlying question, that they're both too afraid to ask. She lets her eyes drift over him for a moment, before sighing heavily, bringing his attention back to her.

"Well, I should go." She says. "It was nice to see you again Stiles."

"Oh, ok, you too." He answers as she turns back to her car door.

She's just about to get in when his voice carries to her again.

"Lydia, wait." She turns back to face him, but his eyes are on the ground again.

"Yes?"

"Um....were in town for a couple of days, maybe we can catch up?"

It wouldn't be so bad. She can't deny she has missed him. She puts on a genuine smile, which he returns.

"Maybe."

His face lights up at the possibility. He pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it to her, obviously wanting her to add her number. So she does. She hands the phone back and then she hears a buzz from her bag.

"Now you have mine too. Hopefully we can meet up before I leave." A hint of excitement in his tone.

She nods and says a quick goodbye. Before he can return the sentiment, she is climbing into her car, closing the door and starting the ignition. She sits there for a good thirty seconds with her head looking out the windshield. When she finally gathers the courage to look over her shoulder out the window, Stiles is walking back to the elevators. She watches him and can't help the tiny bubble of excitement that builds at the thought, that maybe after all these years, they can be friends again.

~

She said maybe. It's not a no and ok it's not a yes either, but he will take it. He sits in the hotel room, his phone resting precariously in his hand as he contemplates whether or not to text her. He had gone back to the cafe today, hoping to catch her again. But the girl behind the counter said that it was her day off and she wouldn't be in until Monday. So with his tail between his legs he left. And now he sits on his bed in a bit of a state.

They leave Tuesday morning and tonight they're playing a small set at the local bar, as a favour to one of his old classmates. So unless he conjures up the courage to ask her to come and watch him play tonight, tomorrow is the only chance he'll get to see her again and damn it she's working. He pulls up his messages and starts to type. Before he can lose his nerve he hits send. He throws his phone on the bed and starts to pace the small space in front of the bed.

When he doesn't hear anything back straight away, he grabs his phone again and heads out of his room across the hall to Scotts. Maybe he can convince his friend to go for a run, or anything really to get him out of this fucking hotel and clear his thoughts. He knocks on the door and waits momentarily for Scott to answer. He checks his phone again. Still nothing. The door opens in front of him.

"Hey man, what's up?" Scott asks.

"I need to get out of here. Wanna go for a run, or a beer?"

"You okay Stiles, you look a little worked up?" Scott questions with a furrowed brow. "Is this about Lydia?"

After everything that happened yesterday, Stiles had gone straight back and told Scott why he had suddenly acted like a mad man and ran out of the cafe. Scott knows all about Lydia. That's what best friends are for, to tell all your problems to. He had been the one to help Stiles get out of his funk, by suggesting they write songs together. It had worked. A month after they had started playing and writing together, Lydia was a distant memory.

"Is it that obvious?" He relents.

Scott ushers him into his room and tells him to sit while he gets changed into something more appropriate than sweatpants. Again Stiles flips his phone over and over in his hand, hoping beyond hope that she answers soon. Whether it be a yes or a no, he doesn't care, just a response would be good. God he hopes its a yes. He's not sure how he would cope if she said no. Probably fall back into that black hole that was his home for so long, after they stopped talking.

"So, you want to talk about it?" Scott asks as he comes out of the bathroom.

"Not really. I invited her to come watch us play tonight, she hasn't replied yet."

Scott sends him a sympathetic smile. Pushes him off the bed and out the door. Half an hour later and they're sitting at a the same bar they're playing at later sharing a round of beers and Lydia still hasn't replied. Scott tries his best to distract Stiles, and it works for the most part. Just every now and then his phone would buzz and he would get all excited, only to be disappointed again when he sees its not her.

They stay at the bar for another hour before heading back to their hotel. They've only got a few hours before they have to play and one thing Stiles doesn't like doing is singing when he is drunk. And he will admit that he is on the otherside of tipsy. He and Scott part ways at their doors and after one final look at his phone, and still no response from Lydia, he sighs heavily and throws himself onto the bed, completely and utterly defeated.

He knew they would pull a crowd tonight, but he wasn't expecting every person in Beacon Hills that was of legal age and under the age of thirty to turn up. The somewhat small bar is packed wall to wall and they're cheering the band on. It's kind of surreal to think that people from his home town now idolise him. He definitely wasn't a part of the popular crowd while he lived here. He takes a drink of his bottled water before moving to his microphone.

"How you all doing tonight?"

The place erupts and it vibrates through the small bar. The thrill that course through him is electric.

"This next song is an old one, but we think you'll know it when you hear it."

Isaac starts to play out a beat, Stiles and Scott a riff on their guitars and the crowd goes wild when they recognise the intro.

_'Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh_

_Life's a tangled web_  
_Of cell phone calls and hashtag I-don't-knows_  
_And you you're so caught up_  
_In all the blinking lights and dial tones_  
_I admit I'm a bit of a victim in the worldwide system too_  
_But I've found my sweet escape when I'm alone with you_

_Tune out the static sound of the city that never sleeps  
Here in the moment on the dark side of the screen_

_I like the summer rain_  
_I like the sounds you make_  
_We put the world away_  
_We get so disconnected_  
_You are my getaway_  
_You are my favorite place_  
_We put the world away_  
_Yeah we're so disconnected_

_Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh_  
_We're so Disconnected.  
Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh_

_Hands around my waist_  
_You're counting up the hills across the sheets_  
_And I'm a falling star_  
_A glimmer lighting up these cotton streets_  
_I admit I'm a bit of a fool for playing by the rules_  
_But I've found my sweet escape when I'm alone with you_  
_Tune out the static sound of the city that never sleeps_  
_Here in the moment on the dark side of the screen_

_I like the summer rain_  
_I like the sounds you make_  
_We put the world away_  
_We get so disconnected_  
_You are my getaway_  
_You are my favourite place_  
_We put the world away_  
_Yeah we're so disconnected_

_Turn off the radio_  
_Those late night TV shows_  
_Hang up the telephone_  
_And just be here with me_

_Turn off the radio_  
_Those late night TV shows_  
_Hang up the telephone_  
_And just be here with me_

_I like the summer rain_  
_I like the sounds you make_  
_We put the world away_  
_We get so disconnected_  
_You are my getaway_  
_You are my favourite place_  
_We put the world away_  
_Yeah we're so disconnected_

_I like the summer rain_  
_I like the sounds you make_  
_We put the world away_  
_We get so disconnected_  
_You are my getaway_  
_You are my favourite place_  
_We put the world away_  
_Yeah we're so disconnected_

_Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh_  
_We're so disconnected_  
_Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh'_

The crowd applaud and the band waste no time starting another song. They play four more songs and Stiles hasn't seen Lydia at all. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. He had truly thought that she might want to catch up. He had checked his phone right up until they walked into the bar. He had no choice but to throw it with the rest of his belongings so they could start their set. So he didn't see the text that came through, just as they started their first song.

"Ok, so this is our last song for the night. It's of our album that comes out next month, it's called 'Long Way Home', hope you enjoy it." Stiles says into his microphone over the beat of Issacs drums and Allisons keyboard.

_'We're taking the long way home  
Taking the long way home....'_

They're halfway through their last song when he sees her a few tables back in the middle of the bar, looks like she bought some friends. Somehow they make eye contact and she smiles at him through the crowd of people. His whole demeanour changes and when Scott gives him a curious look, as they sing out the last lines of the song, Stiles just nods his head in her direction. Stiles knows when Scott recognises her, because he falters a bit with the words.

_'Hitting every red light_  
_Kissing at the stop signs, darling_  
_Green Days on the radio_  
_And everything is alright_  
_Now we're turning up the headlights_  
_Darling, we're just taking it slow._

_We're taking the long way home_  
_We're taking the long way home_  
_We're taking the long way home'_

They take a moment to catch their breaths before saying goodnight to the crowd. Stiles' eyes never leave Lydia's as he addresses everyone.

"Thanks for having us everybody. Thanks to Boyd for asking us to play. It's been a privilege, especially for me, to come home and play for you all. Have a good night."

Then the spotlights are dimmed and music comes on over the speakers as Iced Wolves pack up all their equipment. They store everything near a back door, before heading out to the main area again. Stiles pushes through the crowd to find Lydia. He scans the whole room for her strawberry blonde hair. He finds her leaning against the bar, with a drink in her hand and her friends nowhere to be found.

"You made it." He states as he walks up to her, not being able to help the stupid grin on his face.

"I did." She answers finishing her drink and putting it on the bar.

And because he can't help himself and because he has just missed her so much, he closes the distance between them and pulls her into his arms.

"Fuck, Lydia, do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

She stills at first before wrapping her arms around his middle and reciprocating the hug. He feels her nod against his shoulder. Understanding shifting between them. After they pull away, they order another round of drinks and move to a quiet table near the back. He has no idea where her friends have gone, he didn't really care. They were talking, after so many years of silence between them. They don't bring up what happened all those years ago. No point in opening old wounds.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of imagine Iced Wolves as a mix between 5SOS, All Time Low, Blink-182 and Good Charlotte. I realise none of them have a female keyboardist in them, but just imagine there is :-)


	3. Recognition.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A major catastrophe happens while Lydia and Stiles are at dinner.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Recognition  
The action or process of recognising or being recognised, in particular._

She practically floats around the cafe on Monday. A smile permantly etched on her face. Lastnight went well. They talked for hours, until the bar closed. Lydia sat there totally transfixed as he talked about how his band got started and that celebrity life isn't as much fun as everyone believes it is. The sparkle he got in his eyes though when he talked about his friends, the adoration, the respect had Lydia's heart racing, a little jealous that she had had that once.

They interacted so easily, as if no time had passed between them, as if they had never stopped talking all those years ago. She spent a good part of the night wondering how they had even let that happen, how she had let that happen. After all she is the one who made the choice. She was the one who dated the guy Stiles hated most in this world. She spent the other half of the night trying to fight down the fire that was thrumming through her.

_When it was time to leave, Stiles walked her to her car. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, before he spoke._

_"Thanks for coming tonight. It was really great catching up."_

_"You're welcome, I'm glad I did, you guys sound amazing." She had answered a blush taking over her face._

_A smirk takes over his face as he tilts his head a little._

_"You heard the end of one song, how can you tell?"_

_"Yes but I did listen to you play yesterday and I do own a radio you know." She replied smartly._

_He laughed and she couldn't help but laugh with him._

She goes through her usual routine of opening the shop, greeting her regulars and mingling with the customers all with a ridiculous smile on her face. She can't help it. She's on such a high, that she's not sure anything could bring her down. All her employees give her strange looks, not because she never smiles, but they haven't seen her this happy since the shop officially opened. Then the questions started and Lydia just waved them all off as she went about her day.

She's seeing him again tonight. Dinner, but not a date he had said. She will admit she's a little excited. He's picking her up at seven. So when five thirty hits, she's seeing the last of her customers out, sending her employees home, and rushing home to find something to wear. She doesn't live far from the mall. Only a twenty minute drive, but today it feels like so much longer, with the anticipation of the night hanging over her head.

She showers, dries her hair, deciding to leave it down and goes to her walk in closet. With a towel wrapped around her and her hands on her hips, she inspects her choice of appropriate clothing. She pulls two dresses out and holds them up either side of her. One is casual. With a floral print and a capped sleeves, the other a lot more streamlined and fitted. She holds the first one in front of her and then the other, scrutinising them both.

She throws them onto her bed and then slinks on to the edge. Her head is in her hands as she ponders why she is so worried about what she is going to where. It's just dinner. Not a date. It's just Stiles. Yes ok, he is a celebrity, but he's still the same boy who she knew, the same boy who use to know everything about her. The same boy that use to make her laugh, the same boy that had a panic attack their junior year.

She sighs heavily as she gets off the bed and takes the dresses back to her closet. She finds her phone on her bedside table and quickly sends him a text.

**_To Stiles - Ok rockstar, where are we going for dinner? Is it a jeans or dress type of place?_ **

She doesn't have to wait long for his response and she grumbles when she sees his answer.

**_From Stiles - Whichever. I'm sure you'll look fine in either._ **

**_To Stiles - Well that was helpful. Not!_ **

**_From Stiles - ;-)_ **

She stomps back to her closet and chooses a pair of dark jeans and a silk blouse. There. Best of both worlds. Casual but classy. She puts the ensemble together than curls her hair slightly. After applying a minimal amount of makeup, she pulls out a pair of dressy boots with a small heel. She checks her reflection in her mirror and is quite pleased with the results. Again she is wondering why she is so worried about looking good.

He's punctual, she'll give him that. Seven o'clock on the dot and her door bell rings. She starts to run, before composing herself and slowing down. Not a date. It's just Stiles. Calm down Lydia. But when she opens the door and sees him taking up the majority of it, with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, her stomach starts to do somersaults and her heart rate soars. He looks amazing and she is seriously starting to wonder how she never noticed before. Or did she?

"Hi." Stiles greets.

He hands her the flowers.

"For you."

All she can do is smile as she says a quick hi, takes the proffered flowers and ushers him inside. She can feel him following behind her as she makes her way to the kitchen, just a few short steps behind her. Her heart is suddenly pounding against her rib cage and that fire is back from lastnight. She takes in an inaudible breath and starts to rummage through her kitchen cupboards trying to find a vase, all the while he stands quiet behind her.

After finding something that resembles a vase she fills it with water and puts the flowers in.

"Did you want something to drink?" She asked as she fussed around arranging the flowers.

She watches from the corner of her eye as he checks his watch and pulls at his shirt collar. He looks flustered, nervous, about what, she's not entirely sure.

"We should probably get going." His voice a little raspy.

She nods her head, grabs her bag and leads him back out the door. They ride the elevator down from the third floor, easily finding conversation. It's surreal to her, that after all this time, they seem to be able to talk about anything. It's probably why they worked so well as friends. She finds herself again, silently commiserating over the lost years. When they step out the front door of her apartment building she sees a black car sitting on the curb.

She turns to him wide eyed as she takes in the guy leaning on the car, a cigarette hanging from his fingers.

"Ok so maybe being a celebrity has some perks." He says with a blush on his face and a shy smile.

His hand goes to the small of her back, leading her towards the car and the heat she feels from the small amount of contact is insurmountable. The driver stubs out his cigarette with his shoe and promptly climbs into the front seat. Stiles opens the back door for her and she sends him a smile of gratitude before sliding onto the leather seats. She's never been in anything so fancy. Her head turns when she feels the bench seat dip beside her.

He tells the driver, Andrew, where they're off to and Lydia can't help the smile on her face when he mentions the name of the restaurant. Deatons Bar and Grill is famous for its burgers and curly fries. She has spent many nights there with her co-workers. She is suddenly very thankful that she decided to not overdress and that he wasn't taking her to some posh five star restaurant, where she might feel out of place.

"Well at least you have good taste." She says after they've been driving for a while.

His eyes search her face a little before he replies.

"Yes, yes I do."

~

The place is nice, not five star or anything, but he's not really a five star celebrity anyway. The fame of being in one of the biggest bands isn't something he relishes. He's thankful, but not egotistical. He watches her as she pulls apart a curly fry before letting it spring back. She is beautiful tonight. Well she is always beautiful, but seeing her like this, relaxed and almost carefree, has him wondering how they were ever in a fight.

But he knows why and his heart breaks a little at the realisation that he should never have stopped being her friend just because of her poor choice in men. He admitted to himself a long time ago that it was because of how he had felt for her back then. He was jealous, plain and simple. He had pined after her for so long and just couldn't handle being around the two of them, without his heart hurting. So instead he cut her off and then he had left town.

"So are you still stupidly obsessed with Star Wars?" Her voice breaks through his trip down memory lane.

He feels the blush that takes over his face.

"Ah....yeah."

She laughs and he finds himself laughing with her.

"You know, I actually met Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher a little while back." He is slightly embarrassed by awe in his voice

"Did you totally fan girl? I bet you totally fan girled." She asks amusement in her voice, a glint in her eye.

He goes to protest, then softens.

"Well....maybe just a little." A smirk on his face.

He hangs on her every word and she seems to do the same, but he isn't about to get his hopes up. Being Lydia Martins friend again is too important to him and he will not ruin it by confessing his long time crush. Well it's not really a crush anymore, he is twenty two years old after all. He's not quite sure if it's love either. A lot has happened between them, she broke his heart, not intentionally, but it was still broken all the same.

He recognises with clarity, that there is something there though that has reignited since seeing her again. Admiration, fondness, respect. All of which could in some way be a form of love. He leaves tomorrow though, so any spark that is between them will fizzle out when he gets on that plane in the morning. Sure they will become Facebook friends, Instagram buddies, but with the lifestyle he leads, friendship is the only relationship that he can hope for at the moment.

She is saying something, but he is totally mesmerised in her eyes. There are speckles of gold in the emerald that he use to get lost in. Then of their own volition, his eyes skim down to her lips, full and inviting, begging to be kissed. He feels his jeans tighten, he squirms in his seat, scolding himself for being such a guy. He clutches his beer bottle as he tries to pick up the thread of conversation.

"So with a little help from my grand parents, I was able to get a loan and start the cafe."

"Huh?" Is all his brain could come up with.

"What?" She asks, her brow furrowing a little.

He shakes his head.

"Nothing, I just assumed that you would end up becoming some sort of biological engineer or work for NASA or something."

This earns him a smile.

"Were you not listening to everything I said?" She questions, now smirking instead of smiling.

"Aah....I may have zoned out a little." He answers sheepishly the blush a full on bloom of colour on his cheeks.

"It wasn't an option after everything with my parents."

"I don't understand, surely you would've been eligible for scholarships, Lydia you're a genius."

"Maybe, but I couldn't leave my Mom, she didn't cope well with my dad's infidelity."

He's just about to ask her more, press her more when her phone buzzes from her purse on the table. She retrieves it, offers him a sorry and answers it with a smile on her face. She stands and holds up her pointer finger to indicate she won't be long. He watches as she walks outside, then as her face goes white and her arms start to flail. Next thing she is running inside, apologising as she pushes past a couple of patrons towards their table.

Her eyes are wide and glistening slightly from what he assumes are tears. Stiles stands and rushes to her side.

"Lydia? What is it?" He asks as he holds onto her shoulders.

"M....my sh....shop....fire....gotta go."

He wastes no time in ushering her out the door, hailing his driver and speeding towards the shopping mall where her shop is. All the while trying to comfort her, as her livlihood goes up in flames. It takes them less than ten minutes to get there, when they do there are firetrucks, policemen, ambulances all parked up the front, while one side of the building is up in flames. She climbs out of the car and runs towards the barricade. Stiles right on her heels.

"Oh no!" She whimpers as she reaches the plastic barrier.

Then she turns and throws herself into his arms. Her tears stain his shirt as her hands grab at the fabric. His arms instantly wrap around her, one hand running up and down her back as he watches the building burn. The scene around them is frantic, chaotic and Lydia just weeps against his chest. Her shuddering sobs sending shockwaves through him. He doesn't know what to say. How do you comfort someone who has just lost everything they have worked for?

They stand there for what seems like hours when he hears someone calling her name. She tentatively moves out of his arms and despite the circumstances he misses her wrapped up against him. She takes a few steps away and then is immediately hugging the Asian girl, who he assumes was calling her. He turns his eyes away and back to the building. There's water teeming from the firefighters hoses as they try to combat the blaze.

Lydia introduces her friend and employee to him. Kira, is her name. Both girls have their arms around each other's shoulder, they have tear stained cheeks and red rimmed eyes and Stiles feels absolutely useless. Half an hour later and the fireman had the blaze under control, the crowd surrounding them had dissipated and Stiles was offering to take Lydia home. She shakes her head and let's Kira hold her tighter.

"I think, I think Kira is going to give me a ride. We have some things to discuss."

"That's fine, no problem." Stiles replies hiding his disappointment.

Lydia nods her head at Kira, gesturing for her to head to her car, then she turns back to face him.

"I'm sorry. I've had a wonderful time catching up, I'm sorry it has to end like this, but I really should head home and start going through my insurance and stuff."

"You don't have to apologise Lydia, I understand, it's your baby. I probably should get back and finish packing for tomorrow anyway."

He pushes his hands into his pockets and lowers his gaze to his feet, completely defeated. 'Stop being an asshole Stiles. The poor woman has probably just lost the most important part of her life and you're fucking acting like moron'. He curses himself internally. Looking back up, her face betrays her too. She also looks disappointed that the night had to end so soon. They send each other soft smiles before Lydia closes the scant amount of distance between them.

"Keep in touch okay?" She pleads softly. "You have my number and I have yours, there's no reason why we should let what happened six years ago, stop us from being friends now."

"Of course." He answers nodding his head eagerly.

Then they're hugging again and whispering goodbye into each other's ears. She places a soft kiss to his cheek, levels him with a small smile, then turns to head in the direction her friend just went. With his hands back in his pockets, he kicks the ground with his foot and watches her until her can't see her anymore. He solemnly walks back to his car and tells the driver to take him back to the hotel. He chances a look over his shoulder at the burnt building behind him.

Sighing heavily he turns back to face the front and pulls his phone out of his pocket. Three missed calls and two missed messages from Scott, Isaac and Allison. He ignores them and opens up a new text message, Lydia's name glaring at him from the top. He types quickly, trying to put into words how much fun he had tonight and how truly sorry he was for what has happened. He hits send before leaning his head against the cool glass of the window.

**_To Lydia: I really had a wonderful time seeing you tonight. It was like old times. I'm so sorry about your cafe, I can't imagine how you must feel after watching your baby burn before you. I'm also sorry we haven't talked for six years. That falls heavily on my shoulders and I'm sorry. Let me know how it all goes with the cafe. Talk soon. Stiles xx_ **

~


	4. Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia and Stiles spend time together.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> PS. Thank you to everyone who has hit the kudos button. I'm a little sad there hasn't been much feedback on this and Never Forget. Let me know if I should continue or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Perspective_  
_A particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view._

The damage wasn't as bad as she first expected. Fortunately for her the fire was confined to three shops. Not so fortunate for those shop owners. There is a little bit of fire and water damage down one side of her cafe, nothing that can't be fixed, but it still has to be shut down for almost six weeks as the other stores were gutted and investigated. The forensic investigation blamed it on an electrical fault in the shoe shop three doors down.

It took the music shop and the homewares store with it. Leaving Coffee 'n' Chill and the other surrounding stores pretty much unaffected. What does a business owner and her employees do when their shop is shut for six weeks? Well for a few of those weeks, Kira and Malia headed off to Florida with their boyfriends, Hayden found a temp job, Erica worked behind the bar at Boyds and Mason went and visited his grand parents down in Louisanna. And Lydia basically did nothing.

For the first three weeks, Netflix was her best friend. She talked and messaged Stiles a lot when he was having some down time. It was good getting her friendship with him back on track. Their mall tour was just about over, but in August they head off on a national arena tour. By the fourth week, Stiles was begging for her to visit him in LA. Iced Wolves had a couple of weeks off before they had to start prepping for their tour.

"Come on Lyds, I can introduce you to the rest of the gang, I can show you the sights, it'll be great." He had said, his tone pleading and very inviting.

So in a drunken haze one night on the phone she said yes.

Now she stands in LAX and she is completely lost. Her head scans the crowd for her apparent driver. Stiles couldn't make it the airport, he had some sort of meeting, but insisted that his driver pick her up. She trails her small suitcase behind her as she peruses all the name placards. Finally, right at the back she saw the big _**L.Martin**_ being swayed from side to side. She sighs in relief and makes her way towards the guy dressed in all black.

"I'm Lydia Martin." She announces when she makes her way through the crowd.

The man gave her a smile and gestured for her to hand over her suitcase. Then he lead her away from the hustle and bustle of LAX. She watched in awe as they drove through the LA traffic. Eyes wide as she took in all the skyscrapers. She hadn't ever been to a big city before. Deciding instead to stay in Beacon Hills to watch after her mom. She shook the memory from her head as she watched the city go by.

An hour later, Matthew, or Matt as he liked to be called, pulled into a small complex. It looked to only have half a dozen apartments, but they were anything but small. He drove to the far end and Lydia let out a gasp at the beautiful building before her eyes. She could see a communal pool off to her left situated between two of the apartments, only hidden by numerous palm trees. She was in such a daze she hadn't realised that Matt had opened the door for her.

He offered her his hand and she took it. She could feel her hand shaking but he just smiled and patted it with his other hand to try and calm her down.

"They all live here." He said swiping his hand around him to indicate the other buildings. "They say it helps them with their music, being so close, they don't have to travel too far if someone has an idea for a song."

All Lydia could do was nod. He lead her up a small path and proceeded to open one side of the double front door. He gestured for her to move inside and Lydias wide gaze appeared again as she took in the entrance. As she moved around in small circles, taking in the area, Matts phone rang from his pocket. She didn't hear any of the conversation, instead her feet took her into another room that was so Stiles, that she had to cover her mouth to fight the giggle that wanted to escape.

There were shelves full of Star Wars paraphernalia. There were posters on the walls and a massive television sat in front of the most comfortable sofa Lydia had ever seen. She ran her hand along the back of it as she perused the small shrine to his favourite movies. She can just imagine him sitting here reciting them word for word. She's startled out of her musings by Matt, causing her to jump a few feet off the ground.

"Sorry miss, didn't mean to scare you. Stiles said to tell you he's going to be a bit late, but to make yourself at home." He announced, a small smile playing in his lips. "Let me show you to your room."

"Okay."

She followed him up the staircase, they passed two other doors which she assumes is Stiles room and a bathroom. They walk a few more paces and then he's pushing open the door to what Lydia ascertains is where she will be sleeping for the next week. She's not sure what she expected, but it certainly wasn't what met her as she stepped in. With cream coloured walls, beige carpet and a queen sized bed, draped in a comforter that looked more like it belonged on her bed back home.

Matt left her suitcase just inside the door, said goodbye and then she was alone to take in her surroundings. Again she found herself turning in circles as her eyes drifted around the room. What she wouldn't do to have a room like this. It was exactly to her style and it had her wondering if Stiles had deliberately gone out of his way to make her feel at home. She let out a small gasp when she pushed opened another door. An ensuite, almost as big as her bedroom back home.

After taking in the claw foot tub and double shower, she moved back into the main room. Her eyes wandered to a floor length window on the otherside. Only when she pulled the curtain back it wasn't a window at all, it was a balcony and she had a view of the pool she had seen before. Fuck, she feels like a princess. She stood at the railing and took in the sight before her. She could see the centre of LA in the distance and dreamily thought of what it would be like to be a celebrity.

She is bought out of her daydream by her phone buzzing from her pocket. She pulls it out and when she's the caller ID, a smile graces her lips. She accepts the call.

"Hey Stiles." She greeted as she moved back into the room.

"Hi. How was you flight?" He asked. She can hear voices in the background. "Sorry I couldn't be there to meet you, but...."

She Interupted him.

"It's okay Stiles, you're a busy man, Matt kept me company enough."

He laughed.

"So how's your room, I hope it's ok?"

"Oh Stiles, it's gorgeous. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get out of that bed everyday though." She stated as she moved around the room.

"Well I'm glad you like it. Look we should be back within the hour. Make yourself at home, help yourself to anything and I'll see you when I get there."

"Thanks Stiles."

"No problem I'll see you soon."

"Stiles wait!" She all but screams when she realises he's about to hang up.

"What is it?" He asks.

"Nothing, just, thanks for inviting me out here."

She can practically hear him smiling on the other end.

"It's ok Lyds, I'm happy you said yes. Gotta go, I'll see you soon."

"Me too. Bye."

She held her phone in her hand for a long time, staring at the screen. Then because the teenager inside her can't help herself, she falls back against the bed giggling like a school girl. A week living in the lap of luxury with Stiles only meters away from her room, God, she is so happy she said yes.

~

He watches her as she mingles with his friends. They took to her like duck to water. Of course Scott knew all about their past, but the others only knew that knew each other a longtime ago. Her and Allison clicked immediately, like they were long lost sisters. She listened with rapt attention as Allison described what it was like being around all guys, pretty much all the time. He couldn't help the way his eyes wandered over her.

He only had a week to get the spare bedroom up to scratch. It's normally where he wrote music and only last week it looked like world war three had happened in there. He called in a favour from a friend and she had it sorted out in no time. He couldn't believe what a difference a bed and some lacy curtains made. He was glad it had, because when he got home and went straight up to the room, he was rewarded with a tight hug and a lingering kiss on his cheek.

It was innocent enough, but it seared into his cheek and he was certain he wouldn't be able to bring himself to wash the area. Childish, he knows, but where Lydia Martin is concerned he can't stop the teenage boy from a few years ago, coming out. She laughs at something Isaac says and Stiles is pretty sure he hasn't heard anything more beautiful. He hates that he missed out on all the little things when they weren't talking.

"Hey, you okay?" It's Scott offering him another beer.

Stiles takes it and nods his head.

"It's just kinda surreal having her here." He says wistfully, his eyes never leaving her.

"I bet." He says against the lip of his beer bottle before taking another sip. "But it kinda suits her don't you think."

Stiles finally drags his eyes away from Lydia and sets Scott with a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she fits in. It's not too far of a stretch to see her loving this lifestyle."

Stiles scoffs, takes another pull of his beer and shakes his head, disagreeing with his best friend.

"C'mon man. I've met her twice and I can feel the chemistry that simmers between you two." Scott says, a teasing tone lacing his voice.

"Scott stop, it's never going to happen. She has her cafe and a life in Beacon Hills, there's no way she would give that all up for this."

Scott shrugs his shoulders.

"Whatever you say, but I think this is going to be a very interesting week." He says as he walks off towards the rest of the gang.

Stiles stands there completely off balance at his best friends words. There's nothing in this world he wants more than to be able to believe that Lydia would want to be with him, live here in his world, but he knows it's just a dream. Yes he can't deny there is chemistry, but it doesn't mean she would give up everything she loves if he asked her too. And he wouldn't ask her, there's no way he would expect her to do that at all.

The rest of the night cruises past and Stiles can't help the pure joy in his heart that Lydia is mixing so well with his friends. He wanders over to where she is sitting and sits down next her her. His friends are having some sort of argument but he couldn't tell you what it was about, because the beautiful girl next to him has his undivided attention. He's lost in the sweet tones of her voice, when her next words surprise him a little.

"I'm quite a bit jealous you know." She says turning to face him.

"Huh?"

"You've made something of yourself, you have wonderful friends and an amazing home, I can't help but feel a bit jealous that I wasn't along for the ride."

"Lydia...." He starts, but she interrupts him.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm happy for you. So happy and proud. How many people can say they knew the rockstar before he became the rockstar?" She asks with the most gorgeous smile on her lips.

"I just meant that I kind of wish I could've been there with you when you became famous."

In a bold move, he takes her hand. He doesn't miss her soft inhale and won't deny that it sent a ripple of pleasure through him.

"I wish you had been there too. I'm so sorry for what happened between us. I had absolutely no right to behave the way I did. But you're here now and we're getting along okay right?" He asks with a small smirk.

She nods and returns the smile.

"Look Lydia, yes we were idiots for letting....well we don't need to mention his name." She chuckles under her breath. "But let's not waste time dwelling on the past. You're only here for a week, let's enjoy it."

"Ok." She agrees.

Then once again they fall into companionable conversation. Reminiscing over years gone by and laughing at what she calls his shrine to Star Wars. It's comfortable, relaxed and again Stiles can't help but be sorry that they had been apart for so long. He had missed this. Their ability to be able to talk for hours and not realise how much time had passed. The rest of the gang disappear somewhere around midnight, leaving Stiles and Lydia alone in his courtyard.

"Well, I think I'm ready to head to bed. It's been a long day." She states as she gets up from her spot.

She wobbles a little and his hands instantly go to her hips to steady her. Electricity ripples through him, when he realises he's touching bare skin. They both stand there completely still. His fingers feel like they're on fire from the heat that she is emanating. He feels her shiver and quickly removes his hands. After a fleeting moment Stiles chances a glance to where his hands had just been. He quickly shakes his head to dismiss where his brain was going.

"Sorry, you ok?" He asks, both of them looking up at the same time.

"Yeah, must've had more to drink than I realised."

His eyebrows raise a little, then in another bold move he takes her hand and leads her towards the back door.

"Come on, let me help you get to your room." He says nonchalantly.

He feels her stop suddenly as his shoulder is nearly ripped out of his socket from the action. He turns back to look at her and she has a terrified look on her face. Straight away he realises the implications his words may have had. He can't stop the tiny bit of hurt that spread through him that she was absolutely terrified of having him help her to her room. Maybe that chemistry wasn't as mutual as he first thought. He decided to lighten the mood.

"Lyds, there's no way you're making it up those stairs alone in your state."

He physically sees her shoulders relax with his words. Again a stab of pain hits him as he cautiously follows behind, a hand resting on the small of her back to stop her from toppling over. He walked her to her door and pushed it open for her. She made a move to step inside, then stopped suddenly. She turned back to face him and then everything after that was a blur. She threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

He was hesitant at first, then deciding he loved the feeling of her tucked up against him, he engulfed her in his own arms. His cheek rested against the side of her head as he curled into her. He could smell caramel and vanilla, a heady scent that had him wishing he didn't have to let her go. They stand like that, arms wrapped around each other, chests heaving a little more rapidly than normal.

"Thank you for asking me to come, I'm so happy to be here." She said against his shoulder.

He let one hand smooth over the fabric that was covering her back. Boldly he placed a kiss to the side of her head, before moving his mouth close to her ear.

"Me too."

The tremble he felt was different to the shiver from before. He didn't let his imagination wander to far though, instead he extricated her from his arms, let his hand linger a little on her cheek before saying goodnight. He turned away quickly to stop himself from doing something irrational, making his way to his room and through the door, closing it behind him. Then leaning heavily against it, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. _'It's going to be a long week'_. He muttered to himself.

~


	5. Gravitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Firstly I want to say thank you for all your kind words. You have no idea how much I love reading all your comments. 
> 
> Chapter six is written and I will post it in a couple of days. Plus I'm halfway through chapter seven. 
> 
> It's a pool kinda day.
> 
>  
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Gravitation  
A movement or tendency toward something or someone._

She is woken by the soft strumming of a guitar, which immediately has her panicking as to where she is. She sits bolt upright taking in her surroundings, before laying back down, remembering she is at Stiles' place. She lets the soft music wash over her as she remembers lastnight. He has wonderful friends. None of them seemed to have been affected by fame and Allison feels like a soul sister.

Scott is the most down to earth, caring person she has ever met and Isaac is hilarious. They're like a real family, much like her employees are family to her. The night had been wonderful and she had felt like she had belonged. They had included her and welcomed her with open arms. She smiles as the sound of the guitar continues to drift towards her and lastnight invades her thoughts. She certainly could get use to this lifestyle.

She stretches the length of the bed and moves to get up when she stops still as other memories from lastnight hit her. She remembers being slightly drunk, but not too inebriated to remember the tiny little details from lastnight. Hands on bare skin and the electricity she had felt coursing through her. His mouth so close to her ear as he whispered against it. Her hand goes to the spot on her head where he had left a kiss.

She does something stupid then and let's herself imagine how those lips would've felt on her own. How would she have reacted if he had? How would he have reacted if she had? Then she chastises herself for even considering it. Stiles Stilinski is a celebrity and so far out of her league. God, she doesn't even know if he has a girlfriend. A possibility she hadn't really taken into consideration before now. Surely he has. Some beautiful singer, actress or model. Aargh. She flew out of bed.

She pushed the door to the bathroom open with a bit more force than was necessary. She turned on the faucet and started to rip off her clothes, which she just realised are the same clothes she had on yesterday. She stood under the large shower head and let the water wash away all her desire and thoughts. She can't allow herself to go there with Stiles. He travels the world and she lives in lil' old Beacon Hills.

She finishes up in the shower, pulls on her jean shorts and a blue top. As she was fixing her hair she noticed that the music that had woken her up, had now changed into something slower and Stiles' voice had been added to the mix. It truly is a beautiful voice. How had she never known he could sing like that? He really is the total rockstar package. Far too good looking, a smooth singing voice and the boy could definitely play the guitar.

She grabbed her phone off the bedside table, took another look at her reflection in the mirror then proceeded to follow the music. She padded into the hallway, down the stairs and found him sitting in his Star Wars shrine. She quietly leaned against the door frame as she watched and listen to him play. She was mesmerised by the way his fingers expertly strummed the strings, intoxicated but the soulful words and totally fascinated with the way his mouth moved to the lyrics.

His eyes were closed and she followed suit as she let the music invade her body. She's not sure how long she stood there like that, but suddenly the music stopped. She opened her eyes to find Stiles looking at her with a smile on his face. She pushed off the door frame and walked into the room. She joined him on the sofa and just as she suspected, it was the most comfortable sofa she had ever sat on.

"Morning." He greets as he leans his guitar against the sofa.

"Hey, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt." She apologises.

"You didn't. I was just tinkering with something." He replies.

"It sounded good by the way."

"Thanks, just something that popped into my head lastnight. Hey are you hungry?"

She nods a little and then he grabs her hand and pulls her up.

"Come on, there's a great place just a few blocks from here. Their pancakes are the best."

He drags her towards the door, but she pulls on his arm a little. He turns and sets her with a curious look.

"What?" He asks.

She giggles a little as she looks down at both their feet. She watched as he followed her eyeline, then he joined in wth her laughter.

"Right, shoes. Although we are in LA, I have definitely seen weirder things." He says as he gestures for her to head upstairs.

It takes them minutes to put on shoes and then Stiles is again dragging her out the door into the LA heat. Once on the sidewalk he lets go of her hand, shoves them in his pockets and rambles on about a few of the stores they pass. Fifteen minutes later and they step into a pancake palour. It isn't as big as IHOP but the smell that invades hers nostrils has her taking in a deep breath through her nose.

"Wow, it smells incredible." She states as a host leads them to a table.

The next hour Lydia indulges in the most sumptuous pancakes she's ever had and revels at being in Stiles' company. He pays their tab and then his hand goes to the small of her back to lead her outside again. The temperature has risen incredibly while they had been inside and Lydia starts to feel the effects when a droplet of sweat trickles down the back of her neck. It doesn't seem to bother Stiles though as they continue on towards his apartment.

Just as he pushes through his front door, movement to her left catches Lydias eye. She turns to see the rest of the gang already in the pool. She turns back to face Stiles with an expectant look on her face. She wants in that pool now! He just nods and raises his eyebrows at her. She runs back inside pulls apart her suitcase and grabs her bikini. She quickly changes, grabs a towel from the bathroom and heads back downstairs.

Fifteen minutes later she is laying on her back on a blow up lounge chair, floating in the water, soaking up the sun overhead. With her sunglasses on, she is privy to everything going on around her without anyone knowing, but as is usual lately, her eyes don't get much further than Stiles. He sits on the edge, talking to Scott with a beer bottle resting on his knee and water beading down his chest. A chest that Lydia hasn't been able to take her eyes off all day.

She inhales sharply and then moves her eyes around the pool area. Allison mirrors her position on the water, soaking up the sun on her own lounge. Isaac is laughing with some of the crew members and when she looks back to where Stiles and Scott were, Stiles is no longer there. She sits up a little, her curiosity more than piqued. She watches as Scott moves to join Isaac, but is completely baffled as to where Stiles is.

She cranes her body to look towards the apartment and that's when she hits the water, her arms flailing, a god awful squeal leaving her mouth before its silenced by the water. When she finally makes her way to the surface, she sees Stiles leaning on her lounge with a smirk on his face. The rest of the crew are laughing. She paddles back towards him her brow furrowed and her mouth set in a tight line, but she's not really mad.

"Stilinski, I'm going to kill you."

~

He can't contain his laughter as he watches her flail a little in the water. Her eyes are narrowed as she sets him with a glare, her beautiful lips are set in a pout and he can't help but think how cute the look is on her. He gives her another wicked smile, splashes her a little with the cool water, before he shrugs a shoulder, climbs on the lounge with ease, then pulls his sunglasses down over his eyes and replies.

"You were hogging it, plus you looked like you could use some cooling off."

He put his hands behind his head, still wearing that smirk.

He watched as Lydia stood there neck deep in water, mouth agape and eyes wide as he determined she was contemplating her revenge. Instead she baffles him as she grabs her sunglasses just as they float past her and puts them on top off her head. Her lip quirks up on one side in a smirk. She pushed herself off the bottom of the pool with all the strength she had and swam in the other direction, throwing a parting remark at him over her shoulder.

"It's all yours, I was getting out anyway."

She swam to the edge of the pool, pulled herself up on the edge, giving him the perfect view of her ass and sauntered away to grab her towel. He manoeuvred the lounge around so as he could watch her run the towel over her body to dry herself. His eyes never left her body as she seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to dry off. He watched as she threw the towel off to the side and then laid herself down on one of the sun beds.

She really was gorgeous. Her emerald green bikini highlights her eyes, but leaves little to the imagination, as her breasts spill out a little over the edge of the scrap of material. One toned leg is bent at the knee and both her arms lay by her side. From where he is on the water he watches as Isaac makes his way over and they start an in depth conversation. The jealousy that bubbles inside him is completely unwarranted, it doesn't stop the small snarl that leaves his mouth.

It's twenty minutes later that Isaac joins Scott and the crew and Stiles gets the courage to get out of the water and make himself comfortable on the bed next to hers.

"Are you having fun?" He asks propping himself up on one elbow facing her, trying hard not to let her body get the best of him.

The smile on her face is the only indication that she has heard his question, then she turns her head and replies.

"I am. Thanks again for inviting me here." She answers.

"Anytime Lydia, you know that right?"

"Yeah."

A few moments of silence pass between them before Stiles can no longer handle not knowing what her and Isaac were talking about.

"So. You and Isaac seem to be getting along." He asks nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head.

From the corner of his eye, behind his sunglasses, he notices her sit up and turn to face him, now mirroring his position from before. He internally hopes she didn't notice the jealous tone in his voice. She doesn't answer straight away and curiosity gets the better of him. He lifts his sunglasses off his face onto his head and once again turns only to find her wearing a ridiculously cute smirk.

"You jealous Stilinksi?" She teases, her eyebrows raised a little.

He scoffs in return, pulls his sunglasses back over his eyes and turns back to laying on his sun bed before answering.

"No way. But his girlfriend might be."

He hears her chuckle and then hears her feet fall to the deck. He sits up fully and moves himself to the edge of the bed. She comes to stand in front of him, peeks out over her sunglasses and replies.

"His girlfriend has nothing to worry about, he was just asking how I felt about Karaoke."

"And what did you say?" He asks with curious interest.

In all the years Stiles has known Lydia he has never once heard her sing. So the thought of her doing karaoke willingly surprised him. He was genuinely interested in her answer.

"I told him I would need copious amounts of alcohol to ever get up on stage and sing in front of people. He offered to get me drunk."

Stiles laughed hard. So hard that he grabbed the attention of everyone else.

"I bet he did." He said after getting his laughter under control.

The rest of the afternoon is spent in and out of the water, they drink and at some stage someone had the good sense to order in some pizzas. When the sun starts to set that's when everybody starts to retreat to their own buildings. Stiles lets Lydia lead the way and follows behind her like a puppy. She says she's going to have a shower and Stiles again has to bite back a growl at the thought of her naked.

He follows her up the stairs, but they're separated when he steps inside his room and she into hers. He closes his door a little harder than necessary and leans against it chastising himself for the indecent thoughts he had been having all day. He lets his head hit back against the door before pushing off and moving towards his balcony. He watches the sunset in silence, his thoughts a million miles away, well only a few yards away actually, in the spare bathroom.

He shakes his head and the possibility of him and Lydia ever being anything more than friends. They live different lives and even if there was a chance for something more, he would never ask her to give up her life. He's not that guy. He's also pretty sure he could never give up his live. It's not about the money, or the fancy cars and celebrity friends. He genuinely loves to perform for people. Would he be able to give that up for her?

"You're getting too far ahead of yourself Stilinski." He scolds himself as he moves back into his room.

He knows there's chemistry there, but he can't decipher whether it's plutonic or something more. Could she possibly feel for him what he is now recognising that he feels for her. She is just as beautiful as she was back in Highschool, but it's more than that. She has a quick wit and a fire that has him wanting her. It's not just sexually either. He wants to sit and listen to her, know how her day is going, laugh with her. He wants her in every sense of the word.

A light tapping on his door, brings him back to reality. He opens it to be met with Lydia dressed and looking like she's ready to head out somewhere. Confusion settles in his stomach.

"Hey." He greets.

"Hi. Um....Allison messaged me and asked if I wanted to go out with her, she said she wants to show me some of the nightlife....VIP style." She explains as she plays with the end of her hair.

His heart plummets at the thought of her out and about on the town, probably mixing with plenty of high profile celebrities. Then he remembers she's not his to worry about. He steels himself and reigns in any jealousy that's lurking beneath the surface. He has absolutely no claim over her and she is free to see or be with whoever she wants. He plasters on what he hopes is a sincere smile and nods his head once.

"That's great. I'm glad you and Allison are spending time together." He answers.

He's not sure, but he thinks maybe he sees disappointment there. But it's gone as quickly as it came and she is smiling back at him.

"Me too. I'm not sure what time we'll be back so...." She starts but Stiles interrupts her.

"Hang on, let me get you the spare key."

He moves towards his dresser and opens the top drawer. He pulls out the key and turns to give it to her.

"Thanks." She says.

He walks her to the front door, holds it open for her and watches as she makes her way down the small path.

"Hey Lydia." He calls just before she turns towards Allisons building.

She turns back to face him with an expectant smile on her face.

"Have a great night. Make sure Allison looks after you and if you need me at all just ring."

Again he thinks he sees disappointment on her face, but she just nods and continues on towards Allisons place. He watches until the very last minute, then with a heavy sigh he closes the front door and heads back up the stairs, back towards his bedroom. He decides a shower is in order, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Hopefully the water will both wash away any lingering jealousy that sits in his stomach and the chlorine that's covering his body.

A few hours later, while he's sitting through another Star Wars marathon and after checking his phone for the umpteenth time, he hears a noise coming from his front door. _Lydia_. He thinks to himself. He pauses the movie and moves into the entryway. Just as he's about to open the door it falls open. There standing on his porch is a stumbling, drunk Lydia, being held up by a very apologetic Allison.

"Sorry. Seems she's a bit of a lightweight." Allison suggests. "I'll get her upstairs."

She giggles loudly then covers her mouth with her hand, a flush of embarrassment taking over her face. Stiles has to bite back the laughter that is threatening to escape his mouth. He moves out of the way so Allison can get her inside. She struggles to keep Lydia up as the redhead is leaning heavily against her, almost making the two of them topple over. After the third try of getting her up the stairs, Stiles takes her from Allisons grip and picks her up bridal style.

"I got her, you should probably get home, we've got to be at that charity thing tomorrow."

Allison nods in agreement, tells Stiles goodnight and sees herself out. Stiles gently makes his way up the stairs and has to keep from dropping her when he opens the door. He pushes it open with his hip and walks to her bed, laying her down gently on top of the comforter. Somewhere between the stairs and making it up here, she has fallen asleep. He leans down and places a kiss to her forehead, before quietly saying goodnight and walking back out of the room.

~


	6. Resignation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bump in the road.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song by Good Charlotte written by Billy Martin, Joel Madden, Benji Madden.
> 
> All credit to the TW creators for these fantastic characters.

_Resignation  
An accepting, unresisting attitude, state, etc.; submission; acquiescence._

She wakes up to an empty house. She vaguely remembers Allison say something about a charity thing they have to do. After showering and changing into her bikini, shorts and a tank, she makes her way downstairs to the kitchen. She moves to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. It's not until she goes to lean on the bench that she notices the note stuck under the fruit bowl. She retrieves it, takes another gulp of water and reads.

_Lydia_

_We had to drive down to San Diego for a charity event._  
_We will probably be gone most of the day as there's an after party._  
_Make yourself at home. I've left Matt with instructions to take you_ _wherever you want to go and keep you company._  
_Sorry you have to spend the day by yourself._

_Stiles xx_

All day and possibly most of the night all by herself. So what does a girl do when she is left to her own devices in the city of Angels. She goes shopping. She runs back upstairs, changes into a sundress and sandals, grabs her purse and phone and heads off to find Matthew. She doesn't have to look far, he sits in a outdoor chair in the courtyard. She slides open the door and steps over the threshold.

"Good morning." She greets once she has attention.

"Morning Miss." He replies as he gets out of his chair. "So you have me for the whole day, what would you like to do?"

She grabs his hand and leads him back through the house. He's shocked at first before he follows her willingly.

"I want you to take me to Rodeo Drive. I want to do some shopping."

She watches as he tries to hide the smirk on his face.

"Of course Miss." He says hold the door open for her.

"C'mon Matt, you can call me Lydia, all my friends do." She states as she slides into the back seat.

"Ok Lydia."

Her eyes become wide as she takes in everything around her. The pictures on television don't do this beautiful city justice. Once at rodeo drive, Matthew finds a suitable place to park and then once again helps her out of her car. He follows her around all day, offering to carry the numerous bags she has accumulated throughout the day. Once she has shop until she has drop, she asks Matthew to take her somewhere for a bite to eat.

He takes her to a little Italian place and she insists that he eat with her. She gets him to loosen up a bit and they eat and talk well into the early evening. He tells her how he became a driver for Iced Wolves, that he's originally from a small town in Texas and that he's trying to save enough money to bring his girlfriend out here to live with him. They're Highschool sweethearts and he can't imagine his life without her. Lydia sighs at the romanticism of it all.

It's still ridiculously hot when he drops her back at Stiles' apartment, so she decides a swim is in order.

"Did you want to join me Matt, it seems stupid to swim by myself." She states before climbing out of the car.

He shakes his head.

"No mi....sorry, Lydia, it wouldn't be proper." He answers in his southern drawl.

"Aw cmon, it will just be two friends cooling off after a long day." She pleads, batting her eyelashes at him.

"I don't think Stiles would be too happy Lydia. I could lose my job."

She scoffs.

"Don't you worry about mister celebrity. Pleeeease."

He smiles and hesitantly says yes.

"But I don't have a swimsuit." He says after Lydia squeals a little in delight.

She eyes him up and down, before determining that he and Stiles are probably the same size. She grabs his hand and pulls him inside.

"Wait here, you can borrow some of Stiles'." She chuckles at the ashen look on his face. "He won't mind, he did after all instruct you to keep me company all day."

She leaves him standing at the bottom of the stairs and runs up the marble steps two at a time. She fishes through Stiles' dresser and pulls out a simple black pair. She quickly runs to her room and changes into a one piece this time. Poor Matthew would have a heart attack and would probably back out if she came out in a bikini. After throwing her hair up on her head in a haphazard bun, she goes back downstairs.

She passes the shorts to Matt and tells him to use the Star Wars shrine to get changed. She lets him know she will be out by the pool and to not take too long. She wastes no time in diving into the refreshing blue water. When she comes back up to the surface, she lets out a heavy sigh of relief. She does a few laps of breaststroke and is just about to change to freestyle when Matt finally makes his way through the pool gate.

They spend the next couple of hours swimming and continuing their conversation from dinner. They never get too close to each other, both parties worried that it might come off as improper if the band were to come back and find them in the pool together. Lydia likes Matt. He's the shy, quiet type, totally opposite of Stiles. In another life she could definitely see her and Matt being really close friends.

When they've finally exhausted the water, they climb out and lay down on the sun beds. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were twinkling brighter now the street lights around them had turned off. He gushed about his girlfriend and his family back home. Lydia told him about her cafe and what had happened to it. She even felt comfortable enough to tell him about hers and Stiles' history.

"May I ask you something without offending you?" He asks.

Lydia nods his head.

"Do you love him?"

The question throws Lydia a bit, but it only takes her milliseconds to nod her head yes. She had admitted it to herself two nights ago when they were in his courtyard.

"Mi....sorry, Lydia, maybe you should tell him. Now I'm not saying what happened to your cafe was a good thing, but maybe it was fate. It bought you here didn't it?"

"Maybe you're right, but I can't just act on it when I don't even know if he feels the same."

Matt smiles at her and then takes her hand in his. He pats it gently before replying.

"I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching, if I had to put a bet on it, I would risk all the money I have on him feeling the same."

Lydias eyes go wide and her mouth forms an o shape. Could she really believe that Stiles feels the same? Is it too much of a stretch to think that he loved her too?

"Take a chance Miss Lydia, both of you deserve to be happy."

Lydia throws her arms around him and pulls him into a hug. It's a clearing of a throat behind them that has them putting yards of space between them. Lydia looks up to see Stiles standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a look that could kill on his face. She jumps up off the sun bed and moves towards him. It's like approaching a wild animal, she does it slowly and hesitantly. She never breaks eye contact.

"Well this is cosy." He snarls as he takes a step back.

"Stiles, it's not what you think, none of this is Matts fault, he was just giving me some advice and I was just hugging him to thank him."

He scoffs and Lydia hates the bitterness that sits there. Silence fills the pool area, neither of them move when Matt walks past them, out the gate and towards the house to retrieve his belongings. The poor guy looked terrified. Probably thinks he is going to lose his job, well Lydia is having none of it. She mirrors Stiles' stance and taps her foot. Her eyes narrowed and an anger starting to build behind her chest.

"You were the one who told Matt to keep me company, you can't stand there and judge him for doing exactly what you asked. Besides I'm the one who begged him to swim with me."

The air is thick and Lydias confidence is starting to wane.

"Stiles, you left me here all day in a strange city, he is the only other person I know here, don't take this out on him, besides he has a girlfriend. You do realise that the only reason he took this job was so he could afford to bring his girlfriend out here to live with him."

She can see his posture start to relax. She inhales sharply and let's it out slowly, waiting for him to say something. She chews on her bottom lip, knowing there will be a bruise there by tomorrow. She takes a small step towards him and when he doesn't move she takes it as promising sign. He still doesn't say anything. From the expression on his face he looks to be debating with himself over something.

Her hand hovers over his shoulder and Lydia is sure she has gotten through to him. However when he recoils from her touch, a gasp leaves her mouth. Her hand jerks back down to her side and she fists them as another wave of anger overtakes her. She can feel tears brimming behind her eyes, but she refuses to feel guilty. She uncurls her hands, takes a deep breath and with resignation she pushes past him delibrately and walks back towards his house.

With her head hung low and her form slumped she trudges up the stairs towards her room. She closes the door and starts to peel off her swimsuit. She leaves on the floor near the door to the bathroom. Absentmindedly she turns the shower on, steps into the cubicle and lets the water wash over her. She scrubs her skin clean, washes her hair, all the while wondering why he recoiled from her touch.

After getting out, drying herself off and changing into her sleep clothes, she walks to where her suitcase is and starts to pack things up.

"Maybe I can stay with Allison?" She mumbles to herself.

Or maybe she should just go home. She had hoped coming out here that she would be able to show Stiles how she felt. She thought things were going great. Even felt like maybe they had taken some sort of step towards, well, more. She shakes her head and continues to fold her clothes and put them back in her luggage. She collects her toiletries, hair straightener and hair brush from the bathroom and throws them haphazardly on top of her clothes.

She climbs into bed, grabs her phone from the bedside table and pulls up flight information for LAX. She books herself a seat on a seven thirty am flight and pays for it with her credit card. She quickly flicks her Mom and Kira a message to let them know she will be home tomorrow. She turns her phone off, not wanting to digest the questions that might come from them both. Then she snuggles under the covers and finally let's the tears fall.

She doesn't hear the quiet voice behind the door.

~

The day in San Diego had been long. He was looking forward to spending time with Lydia. He had felt awful for leaving her alone. In hindsight he had wished he had invited her to come with them. But when he arrived back at his place alone, and he heard voices coming from the pool area, his curiosity was piqued. However, when he pushed through the gate and saw Lydia and his driver embracing, the jealousy that coursed through him was insurmountable.

They jumped apart when he cleared his voice, like two people guilty of doing more than just hugging. With his eyes narrowed and arms folded across his chest, he muttered out some biting words between gritted teeth. He watched her approach cautiously, he took notice of the pleading look in her eyes. It didn't stop the sudden urge to want to hit the guy into the ground. It was only when she explained what was happening, that his demeanour started to change.

But he couldn't help flinching when her hand ghosted over his shoulder. He regrets it immediately, but the damage is already done, when she moves back a bit and he can see tears glistening in her eyes. Her hands fist and unfist by her side and Stiles is pretty sure she is about to hit him. So when she straightens her posture and pushes past him, delibrately brushing her arm against his, he knows he is going to have to apologise for his behaviour.

He doesn't follow her straight away, believing he needed to give her time to cool down. When he finally makes his way inside, up the stairs and towards her room to apologise he feels about two inches tall. He places his hand on the door and leans his head heavily against it. He hears nothing from the otherside of the door, so he assumes she has fallen asleep. He whispers a sorry to the white painted door before heading to his room.

The next day he wishes he had bashed down her door, taken her in his arms, apologised profusely for acting like a jerk and kissed her like there was no tomorrow, because when he makes his way down to the kitchen, after sleeping in until nine am, and finds the note on the refrigerator, he slides down onto the kitchen floor and his heart hurts. It's short and simple. She's gone and he has no one to blame but himself. He screwed up and screwed up royally.

Still in his pajama pants and faded tee shirt, he runs out his front door, down the path and across to Scotts. He bangs on his best friends door loudly for what feels like an eternity. He nearly falls through it when Scott opens it, dishevelled and looking like he just woke up. He feels bad momentarily, because he knows the rest of his band mates were still partying in San Diego when he left. Who knows what time they got in.

"Stiles?" Scott greets, curiosity all over his face.

Stiles just shoves the note into Scotts hand and waits a few moments to let him read it. When Scott looks up with a wide eyed expression, Stiles sighs heavily before speaking.

"I fucked up man. I fucked up and she left."

Scott ushers him inside, leads him to the kitchen and asks him if he wants coffee. Stiles just nods yes and tries texting Lydia again. He knows she won't answer. She will still be somewhere in the air, but it doesn't stop him from sending her a lengthy text message, hoping she will get it when she lands. He hits send just as Scott pushes a steaming cup of coffee his way. He offers his thanks and takes a large drink of it.

Then stiles goes on to tell him everything that happened the night before.

"Well?" Scott asks after taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Well what?" Stiles questions back.

Scott rolls his eyes and turns to face Stiles fully.

"What are you going to do? Why aren't you on the next flight to Beacon Hills to get her back?"

In all honesty, he hadn't even thought about it. He was so caught up in the fact that he had been a jerk and that she had left so ubruptly.

"The way I see it is, you love her, you always have, so why aren't you fighting for her, chasing her down and telling her how you feel?"

"I want to and I had every intention of telling her last night, but when I saw her and Matt hugging, I just couldn't."

"You wanna know what I think?" Scott starts. "You're scared. You still think you're not good enough for her, like you did all those years ago and you're scared if you tell her how you feel she's going to reject you. Honestly I think you're wrong. I see the way she looks at you man. Hell, she flew all the way out here to see you, that has to count for something."

Stiles goes to respond, but his mouth is opening and ahutting like a fish out of water. Scotts right. Stiles knew that, even back when he and Lydia were teenagers, he wondered why she was friends with him. Next thing he knows, Scott is shoving him out of the kitchen, down the hall and through the front door. When Stiles gets his balance, he turns to face his best friend, only to find him with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

"I don't want to see you again until you fix this. I like Lydia and I like having her around, so get your shit together, get on a plane and go fucking tell her how you feel."

Then he is shutting the door in Stiles face, leaving him shocked and bewildered. It takes Stiles a moment to get his feet to work. When he does he runs back to his place, through the door, up the stairs and into his bedroom. He pulls out a duffle bag and shives thing into it aimlessly. Then he sits on his bed, pulls his phone of the end of it and tries to get himself on a flight back to Beacon Hills.

He curses when he realises there's nothing until late in the afternoon, but he books it anyway and then he's left with his thoughts for the next few hours. He showers, gets dressed and repacks his duffle. Then he bounds down the steps two at a time with the bag and his guitar in hand. He moves into what Lydia has nicknamed his Star Wars shrine and throws his bag in the corner. He shuffles through some papers looking for the one with the song on it he was writing the other day.

When he finds it he sits down on the sofa, and with a few hours to kill, he writes the rest of the song. The words coming to him easily, trying to put everything he felt down on that piece of paper. The chorus for it, came to him when he couldn't sleep the first night she was here. He couldn't sleep because all he could think about was her in the next room, here in his house. He ruminated over the fact that they hadn't spoken in so long and then decided to put pen to paper.

**_Where Would We Be Now_ **

**_I smile, you laugh, I look away  
I sigh, you ask me why, I say,  
It's ok and I am just feeling down_**

**_Your hand on mine I hear the words_  
_If only love had found us first, our lives they would be different_  
_But that was not the plan, oh_  
_Where would we be now baby, if we found each other first_  
** _**Where would you do now darlin', if I said these simple words**_

**_I'll wait  
I'll wait, as long as you want_ **

**_And now I must confess That I am a sinking ship_  
_I'm anchored by the weight of my heart cause it's filled with these feelings_  
_I keep my true thoughts locked beside my hearts black box_  
_And it wont be found, it wont survive through the smoke or the wreckage_  
** _**So I guess I'll crash and burn**_

**_Where would we be now baby, if we found each other first_  
_What would you do now darlin', if I said these simple words  
I'll wait, I'll wait, as long as you want.  
Where would we be now baby_**

**_I'll wait  
I'll wait_ **

******_Where would we be now baby, if we found each other first_  
****_What would you do now darling, if I said these simple words_**  
**_I'll wait, I'll wait, as long as you want._**  
****_**Where would we be now baby**_

**_I'll wait_  
_I'll wait  
I'll wait  
I'll wait_**

He Strums out the rest of the music, before smiling at himself, proud of what he had just written. However when he checks the time on his phone, he frantically gets off the sofa, leaves his guitar laying on it, grabs his duffle bag and heads out the front door. He locks it behind him and walks the short distance to the carpark where a driver, not Matt, is waiting for him. He takes a look over his shoulder to see Scott, Allison and Isaac waving at him from Scotts front porch.

It takes them hardly anytime at all to reach the airport and before long Stiles is checked in and waiting for his flight to board. The whole half an hour he is sitting there, he constantly checks his phone for any sign of a message from Lydia. She would surely be back in Beacon Hills by now and certainly would have received his messages. All ten of them. It breaks his heart that she isn't replying. Hopefully he can fix everything up.

He had no desire to lose her again, just because he was jealous and incapable of telling her how he feels. Finally his flight is being called over the PA. He picks up his bag and heads towards his gate, hands over his boarding pass and walks down the gangway. The flight isn't overly full. He assumes not a lot of people travel to Beacon Hills regularly. He takes his seat and only turns his phone off at the very last minute. Still nothing from Lydia.

Once in the air, he sprawls out on the two vacant seats next to him and let's his mind wander to where it always goes these days. _Lydia_. She invades his mind all the time. Especially since they found each other again. He loves her and there's no point denying that anymore. He falls asleep at some stage. Then just as he is dreaming about the feel of her lips, he is shaken awake. He groggily opens his eyes and vaguely hears the pilot tell them to prepare for landing.

~


	7. Serendipity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion and confession time. 
> 
> I'm on a bit of a roll with this story. Both chapter eight and nine are complete. Don't want to upload them all at once though, have to keep you guys on your toes.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take this moment to say how grateful I am to Jeff Davis for giving us these wonderful characters to write about. All mistakes are mine.

_Serendipity  
The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way._

Lydia arrived back in Beacon Hills with a heavy heart and a sadness etched in her skin. Kira was the one to meet her at the airport. She waited with open arms and Lydia fell straight into them, not even hiding her sorrow. They walked to baggage claim with Kiras arm around Lydias shoulder and Lydias head leaning on Kiras. Once they got her suitcase, Kira ushers Lydia to her car. The drive back to Lydias apartment is a solemn one.

She unlocks her door with shaky hands and pushes through it, falling onto the sofa as Kira offers to get her a drink. Coffee she suggested, Lydia would've preferred alcohol, but it wasn't even lunchtime yet. Then Lydia goes on to tell Kira everything that happened. How the first two days were magical, with Lydia truly believing that her and Stiles had made some progress. Then she describes how it all fell apart on the third night.

They talk about how the cafe is coming along, and to distract Lydia from her deep dark thoughts, Kira goes on about her vacation with Malia. After another couple of hours and when Lydia assures Kira she okay, Kira says goodbye and tells Lydia she will give her a call in the morning. Lydia shuts the door behind her best friend and leans against it, with her eyes closed and her thoughts hundreds of miles away in Los Angeles.

She sighs heavily as she makes her way to her bedroom, dragging her suitcase behind her. She pulls it up on to her bed and begins the arduous task of unpacking. Once everything is back in its proper place and she has put a load of laundry on, she settles back on her sofa and pulls her phone out of her bag. Completely forgetting it was on flight mode, she sets it back and her phone blows up with dozens of text messages. All but two are from Stiles.

She hestiantly swipes across the first one and tears start falling as soon as she reads it.

**_9.15am - Lydia, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have behaved the way I did. Please text or ring when you get this message. Stiles xx_ **

All the others are pretty much the same. By the time she reads the last one she is full on sobbing.

"Oh Stiles." She cries, as she closes out the messages and puts her phone down beside her.

She doesn't reply. Her brain is too muddled and her heart hurts too much. Utterly exhausted, she decides to take an nap, sleeping for a couple of hours, before deciding to head to the cafe to see how everything is coming along. She parks her car in its usual spot, grabs her bag and heads towards the elevator. Once at her level, she pushes through the small crowd to get to her shop. She smiles when it comes into view and opens up the door frantically.

She peruses the area, and notices that the wall that was affected by the fire is all fixed, and seriously she could open back up anytime if she wanted too. Deciding that she would wait the week out and reopen on Monday, she walks through the cafe, guiding her fingers along the hardwood tables. She meanders up the stairs into her book corner and sits down on one of the sofas.

"I'm home. This is where I belong." She mutters to herself.

She cleans the place from top to bottom, finding it very therapeutic. Since she stepped into the cafe, her mind hasn't wandered to the messy haired boy in Los Angeles. Now though as one of Iced Wolves song plays from the radio from behind the counter, she fears she is about to crumble. She's starting to regret leaving so suddenly. Leaving without saying goodbye or telling him that she had fallen in love with him, she shakes her head to try and clear it.

She is just finishing up in the office out the back, when she hears someone banging on the bifold doors, that seperate the cafe from the mall. Curious, she stands and moves into the kitchen area. From the door that leads to the counter, she takes in a sharp gasp at the person standing with their hands cupped around their face, pushing against the glass to see inside. No way! She thinks to herself.

_Stiles!_

She smooths down her hair, glances down at what she's wearing, grimacing a little when she takes in her three quarter denim pants and her once white shirt, that now has dust stains all over it. She moves behind the counter area and sneaks another peek at him. He looks dishevelled and panicked. Taking a deep breath, she steps out into the seating area. Her eyes never leave his form, and she sees the relief on his face once he notices her.

She slowly walks towards the door, trying extremely hard to keep her heart rate steady and her nerves in check, hardly believing he flew all the way out here. With her legs wobbling and uneven breathing, she makes it to the door. With trembling hands she turns the lock. He pushes through, not waiting for her to invite him in and then he's embracing her so hard, she is sure she will pass out from lack of oxygen.

Shes shocked at first, but then let's her body melt against his and wraps her arms around his neck. He whispers I'm sorry over and over again in her ear, apologising for being a jerk, and for not coming to her sooner and telling her that he never wants to lose her again. He pulls back a little, takes her face in his hands, searches her eyes for any hesitance that might be there. He won't find it. This, she is one hundred percent sure on.

She smiles up at him and that's all the encouragement he needs to join their lips together. He's soft and hesitant at first, but when her hands wrap tighter around his neck, he presses his lips harder against her, stirring up a fire that was starting in her lower belly. She can't help the mewl that leaves her mouth, as he experimentally swipes his tongue over the seam of her lips. Prodding, poking, pleading. She lets him in and there are fireworks when their tongues collide.

He changes the angle of their lips to deepen the kiss and Lydia's hands find their way to the front of his shirt, taking in fistfuls as he explores her mouth. One thumb ghosts over her cheek bone as her hands go to his belt loops, to pull him hard against her. He growls into her mouth at the sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest. He slows the kiss down and eventually pulls away slightly, only to lean his forehead against hers.

"You were right the other day." He says simply.

She looks up into his eyes, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asks breathlessly.

He pecks her lips again, before placing a kiss to the end of her nose.

"About me being jealous, both times." He admits, before pulling her to him and wrapping her in a hug.

She smiles against his chest, her stomach doing somersaults as she revels in the fact that he does feel the same. But it poses the question, where do they go from here? Would they survive a long distant relationship? Did he want a long distant relationship? Did she? She internally decides to push the questions to the back of her mind. Right now she just wanted to enjoy him being here and being in his arms.

~

When he exited the airport, he wasted no time in hailing a cab and giving the driver directions to her apartment. When he had bashed on her door, for what felt like hours, and there was no response, he grabbed another cab and headed towards the only other place he could think she would be. _Coffee 'n' Chill._ He raced through the mall doors and straight to where he remembers the cafe being.

Again he found himself banging on a door. Hoping and praying that she was somewhere inside. He pushed his face up against the glass and searched the seating area. Nothing. Just when he had lost all hope, he saw her walking towards him. His heart lifted, a smile made its way to his lips and a weight felt like it had moved off his shoulders, as he watched her unlock the glass doors. He didn't give her a chance to open them. Instead he barrelled through and wrap her up in a hug.

She stills at first, but he just holds her tighter and eventually she wraps her arms around his neck. He apologises over and over and then pulls back and takes her face in his hands. His eyes flit from her eyes to her mouth, desperately searching for any sign that she doesn't want what he wants. When she smiles at him, he couldn't stop himself from kissing her. He has wanted to kiss her since the first time he had seen her again, last time he was in Beacon Hills.

To finally feel those full lips against his was like a dream come true. It was everything he imagined and more. When she allowed his tongue to dance with hers, he saw stars behind his eyes and felt his dick twitch in his jeans. Completely mortified that she would be able to feel how hard he was for her, he pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, trying to get his breathing in check and oxygen back into his lungs

After he admits his jealousy and apologises again for being a jerk, she holds up a finger to tell him to wait right there, then she disappears through a door behind the kitchen. Moments later she is back with her bag hanging on her shoulder. She takes his hand, pulls him outside and locks the door behind her. Then she drags him to the elevators. It takes them less than a minute to get to the carpark, where she continues to drag him behind her towards her car.

"C'mon." She says excitedly.

Next thing he knows she's shoving him to the passenger seat, and running around to her side of the car. He stifles a laugh as she fights to get the key in the ignition. When the car starts she turns ands smiles at him triumphantly.

"So where are you taking me?" He asks, amusement still evident in his tone.

"My place." She replies as she pulls out of the carpark.

Stiles seriously fears for his life, as Lydia weaves in and out of traffic in her haste to get home. He holds onto the bar above his window and prays to any being, to spare their lives if they were to crash. Before he knew it, Lydia was pulling into her apartment complex and zipping into a parking bay. Then just as quickly as she pushed him into the car, she pulled him out and once again dragged him along behind her.

They're barely over the threshold, when she pounces on him. Her bag drops to the floor and she pushes him against the door. Her eyes sweep over him momentarily, before she is leaning up on her tip toes, fisting his shirt and kissing him furiously. He reacts immediately, his hands find purchase on her hips and he lowers his head to meet her lips. Touch for touch. Her hands uncurl themselves from his shirt and move to wrap around his neck.

A primal urge pushes him to move his hand to the back of her thighs and lift her off the ground. She wraps her legs around his hips, a noise leaving the back of his throat at the contact. He spins them, so he now has her pushed against the door, and she breaks the kiss to let out a soft moan. Her head lolls to the side and he takes full advantage of her neck being accessible to his lips. He wastes no time in leaving a trail of kisses on her creamy soft skin.

"Stiles." She mewls, when he finds the crook of her neck.

Her fingers pull at his hair, the sensation causes him to move over her softly. Another sound leaves her mouth and Stiles is worried he might come right there from the noises she is making. He moves back slightly and takes in her flushed face. Her eyes are still closed, but he watches as they flutter open at the sudden lack of contact. He leans his forehead against hers and their breathing is heavy and disjointed.

"What is it?" She asks timidly.

He smiles at her and risks removing one hand from her ass to ghost his fingers over her cheek.

"Nothing....I just can't believe this is happening." He replies, as he places another kiss to her lips.

One of her hands leaves his hair and she cups his face with it. She runs her thumb over his bottom lip, and it takes everything in him not to take it in his mouth and suck on it.

"Ah Lydia? Is there somewhere a bit more comfortable, where we can....you know....continue this?"

She disentangles herself from his arms and slides down his body slowly, her hands always connecting with some part of his body. She moves past him, takes his hand and leads him towards what he thinks is the living room. She pulls him down onto the sofa with her, so that his body is lined up with hers. His hands sit either side of her chest. Then she pulls his face down to join their lips together again.

Then their hands are wandering and their mouths are exploring. Stiles feels her nipples harden against his chest, through her thin tee shirt. He moves his hand from her hip and slowly brings it up to just under her chest. It hovers there, he is desperate to take the erect nipple between his fingers and roll it. Her hand suddenly comes up to cover his own, and she guides him an inch up and pushes his hand against her.

Her back arches slightly off the couch and her centre collides with his, eliciting a growl from his mouth as he sucks on her ear. Her hands pull on his belt loops, trying to bring him impossibly closer. She delibrately ruts up against him, as his mouth once again traverses the length of her neck. He brings his lips to hers to hide the desire in his voice. When she plays with the button on his jeans, he stops abruptly.

He moves his mouth to her ear and whispers against it.

"Fuck Lydia I want you so bad, but maybe we should slow down a bit."

He hated being the voice of reason, but he was certain if they didn't stop now, he wasn't going to be able to control himself anymore. He pushes up on his elbows to assess her reaction. Her lips are set in a pout and her nails are digging into his biceps. She certainly wasn't making it easy for him to be the good guy. Her hands go to his face and pull him back down to her lips. She devours his mouth with urgency and want.

She tugs a little on his bottom lip before separating their mouths completely.

"You're probably right." She says as she shimmies her way from underneath him.

He sits up on the sofa and let's out a shaky breath. God he hopes he was doing the right thing. She stands in front of him, her fingers intertwining together and her bottom lip is caught between her teeth. Yep she is definitely going to kill him. She leans down and places a soft kiss to his lips before pulling away just far enough for their foreheads to meet. She stays there for the longest time, before moving away again and speaking.

"I'm going to have a shower, then maybe we can talk about...." She gestures between the both of them.

He nods his head and watches as she saunters down the hallway, a delibrate sway to her hips. Once she is no longer in view, he rests his head against the back of the sofa and sighs heavily. Again hoping he has done the right thing.

~


	8. Acknowledgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, I couldn't wait any longer. Chapter nine will probably be up tomorrow too. I'm also halfway through chapter ten.
> 
> Thanks again everyone for all your kind words.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Acknowledgement  
Acceptance of the truth or existence of something_

She let the water wash over her, all the while trying to contain the giddiness that had settled in her stomach. They had kissed. She had finally been able to taste his lips and fuck did she enjoy it. She hummed a tune, as she washed her hair and got rid of the grime on her skin. She had no idea where their talk was going to take them, but by god she was going to be squeaky clean none the less.

She finished up in the shower, quickly got dressed and hurried back to where Stiles was still sitting, his phone twisting in his hand. He didn't notice her at first, so she leaned against the wall and let herself admire the man who had flown hundreds of miles to be with her. Gorgeous. It was the only way to describe his dishevelled look. Hair that stood up at every angle, forearms that tensed and untensed below where his sleeves were rolled up and God, don't get her started on those fingers.

She sashayed into the room after getting her fill of him. It wasn't until she was basically in front of him that he finally looked up. _Shit!_ Those eyes. Golden, wide and full of....was that desire she saw there? Then he smiled and she was sure her legs would collapse from underneath her. Heat started to course through her veins. Insurmountable, unapologetic heat. She could feel the flames that were about to take over her cheeks, so she changed the subject.

"Do you want something to drink?"

Without waiting for an answer, she moved to the kitchen, went to the fridge and tried to open the door. She closed her eyes to try and suppress the fire that was boiling mad inside her. They needed to talk. They needed to decide how they were going to make this work. Never mind the fact that, her body is screaming at her to drag him straight to her room and have her way with him, they still needed to have a conversation.

When she finally felt like she had her raging hormones in check, she pulled open the fridge door and grabbed two beer bottles out. Inhaling deeply and letting her breath out slowly, she turned to make her way back into the living room. Except, he was standing only a few feet from her, one leg crossed over the other at his feet and his body leaning against the door frame. The gulp that left her throat was so loud, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Hey." He greets, pushing himself off the door frame and making his way towards her.

He stops inches in front of her. The desire to drop the bottles clutched in her hand and climb him like a tree, is becoming harder and harder to suppress. Especially with the way he is looking at her. He closes the distance, uncurls her fist and wrenches a bottle from her hand. The electricity from his touch, stemmed from her hand to her core. It's like the two were connected by some sort of invisible string.

"So....we were going to talk." He states, moving away from her and sitting at the kitchen table.

She closes her eyes and internally shakes her head. _Right conversation._ She sits down opposite him. The more distance between them the better she surmises. Less chance she will attack him when there's a few feet of table between them. They simultaneously take a swig of their beers, both chuckling into their bottles at being in sync. She puts her bottle on the table and sits back a little in her chair, before finally asking the question they've both been avoiding.

"So, what happens now?"

She watches as Stiles takes another mouthful of his beer, then he too sets his down, but starts picking at the label.

"I mean, we're obviously attracted to each other, and I know how I feel about you, but where do we go from here? You're a celebrity that travels the world, not to mention we live hundreds of miles away from each other." She explains.

So how the hell would they make this work? Could she handle being miles away from him and only seeing him a few times a year. Was it even fair to ask for him to commit to her, knowing they wouldn't be a normal couple? He continues to destroy the label on his bottle, while Lydia stews over the thoughts, that had just been running through her head. She wants this. Wants to be with him, but does he want the same thing?

"I don't know. What I do know is how I feel about you, how I've felt about you for the longest time, but I would never ask you to give up your life for me. And I know you would never ask me the same. So I guess the million dollar question is whether or not we could survive long distance?"

Silence permeates the air as she processes his words. She stands and makes her way to his side of the table. Stiles turns in his chair and she promptly sits herself down in his lap, her hands caressing the back of his neck and his resting on her hips. Her eyes flit all across his face before landing on his mouth. She kisses him softly on the lips, and he returns it just as gently. It's brief, not lasting more than a few seconds. Then she pulls away and takes his face in her hands.

"I think, we should give it a go." She suggests before she is kissing him again.

He's the one to break the kiss this time, searching her eyes for any hint of resignation. He won't find anything.

"Are you sure? It could be months between visits." He asks, a hint of excitement in his voice, that had Lydia shivering.

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder right?" She answers shrugging a shoulder at him.

He smiles before claiming her lips again. Hard at first, then scaling back to a fleeting brush of lips over lips. She's in need of oxygen, because he has sucked it all out of the air, with his glorious mouth. Their foreheads meet, while they both take in lungs full of oxygen. Chests are heaving, hands start to explore and when his fingers dig into the skin just above her hip, Lydia can't stop the mewl that leaves her mouth.

She climbs off his lap and then takes his hand in hers, pulling him up to his feet. She never lets go of his hand as they traverse the semi dark apartment together. She turns to face him when they reach her door, and the desire she sees in his eyes has her pushing him against it. He wastes no time in securing their lips together in a much more heated kiss. The sounds they're making echo through the empty hallway and before Lydia knows it, he has their positions flipped.

One hand settles beside her head, the other digs into the skin just above her hip again. Her hands have found their way under his shirt. He leans his head in slowly, but changes course and kisses the soft skin of her neck instead. Her head lolls to the side to accomodate him. He makes his way up the column of her neck, then nips at her earlobe, before kissing along her jaw. She was so lost in the feel of his lips, that she hadn't realised he'd opened the door.

They fall through it ungracefully, nearly landing in a heap on the floor, but Stiles steadies her, places his hands on her hips, and then looks down at her with those gorgeous caramel eyes. Everything is happening so fast, but Lydia couldn't find it in herself to care. She wanted him, plain and simple. She wanted him to make her his. He runs a thumb over her cheek bone, stares adoringly into her eyes and swipes his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Lydia, we don't have to do this now." He states in a voice that says anything but that he wanted to stop.

She shakes her head a little before smiling back up at him and caressing his face.

"I want too. I know we've only just admitted our feelings to each other, but fuck Stiles, I've wanted you for the longest time."

That's all the permission he needs to start to undress her slowly. It doesn't take long, she's only wearing shorts, a tee and a pair of cotton panties, which he leaves on for the time being. He kisses her as he moves her towards her bed, only stopping when the back of her knees hit the edge of it. He lays her down gently, ghosting his fingers down her sensitive skin, teasing her by feathering along the underside of her breast. Once again he looks intently into her eyes.

"You're sure?" He asks again.

She nods, he caresses her face. Then their breathing becomes heavy, their hands become frantic, and their mouths desperate for each other.

~

Waking up with the woman of his dreams, naked and curled up into his side, has to be the best way to wake up ever. Her head lays on his chest, her hair an absolutely beautiful mess. Her pert breasts are pushed into his side, and little wisps of air leave her mouth and tickle the hairs on his chest. Her small hand rests just above his hip and her legs are tangled up with his. _Yep, best way to wake up ever._

He turns his head slightly and places a kiss to her beautiful messy hair. She stirs a little, but not enough to wake her up. It's a phone ringing from somewhere in the house, that has her bolting upright in bed, completely oblivious to the fact that they're both naked. He chuckles, as she climbs out of bed and runs through the door naked as the day she was born. He pushes himself up against the headboard and waits for her to come back.

She must've forgotten he was there, because she comes to a complete stop and lets out a half hearted scream, when she comes back into the room and sees him sitting on her bed. His eyebrows raise on his forehead and he chews the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. However the sight of a naked Lydia standing in front of him, suddenly had his heart in his throat, so instead of a laugh, a growl escapes his lips.

She saunters towards him and crawls her way back up the bed, with a seductive look in her eyes. She settled in his lap and his hands immediately went to her hips.

"I thought I was dreaming." She starts before leaning down and placing a kiss on his lips. "Thank fuck I wasn't."

He couldn't stop the chuckle that left his lips this time at her dirty mouth, which if he's being honest, he loves. She pushes herself against him, again joining their lips together in a searing kiss. When her firm breasts push against his chest, his fingers dig harder into her hips. When she moves over him delibrately, they both moan at the feel of him hard underneath her. When she does it again, he can't help but rock against her.

"Definitely not dreaming." She whispers against his mouth.

Her hand sneaks under the sheet and wraps around him. His hands move to her ass as she moves her hand up and down. He squeezes tight as her pace quickens and when he's certain he can't take it anymore and needs to feel her around him, he pulls her up so she is straddling him. He sits up too, her knees encasing his thighs, as he guides himself to her delicious centre. She stops him suddenly and when he looks up into those emerald green eyes, she is giving him a pointed look.

"Right, condom....aah." He eyes the room around him, uncertain as to where she procured one last night.

She tries to hide her amusement as she climbs off him and pads into the bathroom. She's back seconds later and kneels over him again. Ripping the condom from its foil packaging, she fumbles a little. He takes it from her and finishes the task, before sliding it down over himself. Then she slowly moves down on top of him and the feel of her around him, has his mouth engulfing her breast, causing her back to arch at both intrusions.

"Oh god Stiles." She moans into the air, as his tongue ravages her and his dick moves slowly inside her.

He's not going to last long, so to move things along, he finds her clit and starts moving his finger over it in hard tight circles. Her arms find their way around his neck and she holds him tight to her chest, as she moves up and down. The angle, the tightness and the mere fact that Lydia is on top of him, has him biting down on her nipple. When she comes, her knees squeeze around his thighs and her walls tighten around him.

That's enough to send him over the edge only mere seconds after her. He buries his head against her collarbone and hers falls to his shoulder. They ride their orgasms out together, both their names spilling from their lips, as they come down from their high. After they've finished, she takes his face in her hands and kisses him breathlessly. Then she moves off him, he disposes of the comdom and then they're laying side by side, curled up against each other.

"How long until you have to go back?" She asks, her voice soft and a little meek.

She runs her fingers over his sensitive skin. He shrugs against her.

"Pretty much whenever I like, as long as I'm back before we start prepping for the tour." He answers.

He hears the soft sigh leave her mouth and he knows what she's thinking. They've finally got their shit together, and in less than a month he takes off to tour the country. He holds her tighter, places a kiss to her temple and links their fingers together across his stomach. They lay there silently for a long time, their breathing the only sound around them. Just when his eyes start to get heavy, he remembers the phone that went off.

"Hey. Who was on the phone?" He asks as he turns his head to face her.

Her face reddens a little and his eyebrows raise slightly on his forehead.

"Oh, no one, wrong number." She stutters out.

He doesn't believe her and it's not because of the uncertain tone in her voice. He untangles himself from her and props up on his elbows.

"Lydia?"

If it was possible she blushed even more. The last time he saw her blush this much was when....oh fuck!

"Seriously? You're fucking kidding me right?"

She flinched at his words. He didn't mean for his voice to sound so bitter, he's not really even mad at her. He just can't fucking believe that he's finally with Lydia, in a way he's always wanted to be with Lydia, and that jerk is still fucking messing with his head. Okay, maybe he was a little mad, buts it's like Jackson Whittemore has a sixth fucking sense. _'Oh Stiles and Lydia are togther, better make sure I find someway to not let that happen.'_

"Fuck." He groans as he throws his feet onto the floor and runs his hands through his hair.

Lydia grabs a hold of his arm and tries to pull him back into bed.

"Stiles, it's not what you think, he was just letting me know that his sister will be in town next week and she wanted to catch up with me. C'mon Stiles come back to bed."

"So you're still in contact then?" He tries to keep his tone flat, but the green eyed monster is lurking just below the surface again.

He doesn't need to look at her to know what her answer will be. She continues to tug on his arm, pleading and begging with him to lay back down next to her. He should. He knows that, but some thing about Lydia still being in contact with the worlds biggest jackass, has his blood boiling. The guy bullied and tortured him, for pretty much the first half of Highschool, now it's seems he still knows how to get under Stiles' skin.

"Why wouldn't you tell me that you still talk to him?"

"I don't, not really, in fact I haven't heard from him in about eight months. And seriously Stiles, how would you have reacted to that bit of information? I didn't think it was important, so I didn't mention it."

She runs her fingers up and down his arm. The tenderness is not lost on him. In her eyes it's not important that Jackson Whittemore is still tethered to her in some way. For him, it's like every single day of freshman and junior year has suddenly come back to haunt him. Every single insecurity he ever had is tied to that asshole, especially when it comes to Lydia. He runs his fingers through his hair again before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Stiles?"

"I'm not mad Lydia, just concerned."

He takes that moment to turn his head to face her. He sees confusion there and he feels an explicit need to explain what he means.

"Jackson has been the bane of my existence for....well....forever. He's the one who stole you from me. He's the reason we didn't talk for six years. I can't stand the thought of that happening again if he ever decides to walk back into your life."

She sets him with a soft smile, then climbs back into his lap. She takes his face in her hands and caresses his cheeks with her thumbs.

"Stiles Stilinski, I love you, you have to know that nothing or no one is ever going to change that."

And before he can answer, she is kissing him fervently, hard, strong touches of lips on lips. Her fingers dig a little into his cheeks, as she in some way is trying to prove what she just said. When she pushes her tongue past his lips, he knows that he has overreacted, he knows that he has nothing to worry about, because there's no way in hell that Lydia Martin would kiss him like she is kissing him, if she wasn't one hundred percent invested.

She pulls away and takes his bottom lip in between her own, before wrapping him up in a hug. He returns it just as quickly. They stay like that for the longest time, just holiding on tight. He doesn't ever want to let her go. He smiles against her cheek that is resting against his own. She loves him. Those three words have somehow just made everything perfect. She leans back a little on her haunches and again caresses one thumb over his cheek.

"You love me?" He questions, just to make sure he heard her right.

She nods enthusiastically at him and then they're laughing and kissing and right in that moment Stiles is the happiest man alive. No Jackson Whittemore is going to ruin this moment for him. He won't let his past demons destroy what future he and Lydia might have. No, Lydia Martin is his and he is hers. He pulls her back down to the bed and then hovers over her. He brushes a lock of hair away from her face, kisses her and then says the words back.

"I love you too."

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the sex happens pretty fast, but come on, the tension between these two has been ridiculous for far too long.


	9. Concupiscence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lydia is down, Stiles comes to save the day.
> 
> Enjoy xx
> 
> PS: Chapter Ten is written and ready to go, will post it in the next couple of days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Concupiscence  
Ardent, usually sensuous, longing_.

It's been two months since Stiles found her at Coffee 'n' Chill. It's been a month, three weeks, three days and ten hours, since he left to go on tour. Right now they're in New York and Lydia is pottering around her coffee shop missing him terribly. The first few weeks, she was fine. They talked to each other every other night, they face timed on the odd nights, but now as Lydia wipes down another table, she wishes she had said yes, when he asked her to go with him.

_"Come with us. It will be like an extended vacation." He asked in a soft voice as they were saying goodbye at the airport again._

_"I can't. The cafe has just opened again and we have to make up for lost time." She answered solemnly._

_"I know, it was worth a shot, right?"_

_He held her tight and she didn't want him to ever let go._

_"I miss you already." He mumbled into her hair._

_"Me too."_

_He kissed her just as the announcer called his flight back to LA for boarding, over the PA._

A heavy sigh leaves her lips and it doesn't go unnoticed by Erica. The blonde girl wraps and arm around her shoulder and squeezes tight.

"Only another five weeks Lyds, then your guy will be back."

Four weeks, four days and six hours, to be exact. God she really wishes she had said yes.

"Aargh don't remind me." She growls.

She stomps back towards the kitchen, pushes through the door and rushes past Kira in her haste to get into the staff room. She needs to hear his voice. She fishes through her bag for her phone and checks the time. Three o'clock, which means six o'clock in New York. They're probably doing a sound check. The show starts at eight. She shrugs her shoulders and hits the call button anyway. If nothing else, she'll be able to hear his voice on his voicemail.

It rings four times before it goes to his voicemail, just as she predicted.

_'Hey, This is Stiles, busy at the moment, leave a message.'_

"Hey Stiles, just me. Having a rough day, needed to hear your voice. Have a good show. Miss you. Love you."

She ends the call and puts the phone back in her bag, before slumping down into the chair. She never knew she was capable of missing someone, the way she misses Stiles. Her head goes into her hands, her elbows leaning on the table. She takes a few breaths to stop the tears, that she knows are close to falling. She pulls herself together and returns to the shop. Two and half hours and she can go home. Go home and wallow there instead of here in front of her friends.

And that's exactly what she does a few hours later. After she's had a bath and changed into her pajamas, she orders Chinese, parks herself on the sofa, turns on Netflix and drinks her way through a bottle of wine. The peanut butter fudge icecream comes out an hour after she's finished the wine. When she is done with that, she lays down on the sofa, and let's the tears fall that she has been trying so hard to keep at bay.

The show should've been well and truly over by now, and she can't for the life of her figure out why Stiles hasn't rung back. Okay, if she was sober and not an insecure mess, she would be able to remember that there's always a party after their last show in a city. He probably hasn't even checked his phone yet. Instead he's probably partying with a bevy of gorgeous women, while _his_ woman is crying herself to sleep on the sofa.

She's startled awake by a crashing noise coming from somewhere. She lays dead still for a few seconds waiting to hear it again, then slowly peels herself of the sofa, somehow finds her bag, pulls out the can of mace and tip toes to where she heard the noise. She may only be five foot three, but she's wielding a can of acid, so if there's an intruder in her home, they better look out. She makes it to the hallway and pushes herself up against the wall.

From where she is standing she can just make out a silhouette. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes tight and takes a tentative step away from the wall. She positions the can in the direction she knows the intruder is in, and is just about to hit the nozzle, when her entry light comes on. She opens one eye slowly, and through the tiny slit she sees who she was just about to mace. Both eyes open fully and her mouth falls to the floor.

She drops the can near her feet, squeals a little and bombards the figure, nearly toppling him over in the process. She forgot she had given him a key.

"How are you here? Why are you here? You're meant to be in New York, at some party."

She squeezes him tight and then proceeds to cover his face in kisses. When she finally finds his lips, she pushes hard against them, not giving him any chance to reply. Her hands interlock behind his neck and his are running up and down her back. She feels tears on her cheeks, but can't seem to care. He's here, in her arms, in her apartment. _Why is he in her apartment?_ She pulls away and runs her fingers down his cheek.

"How are you here?" She asks again.

"Hi Lyds." He greets, with that lopsided smile she loves some much.

"You haven't answered my question." She states, her hands fisting in his shirt.

He kisses her again before moving away.

"I got your message, you said you were having a bad day, so I cut out on the party early and got the next flight back. Aren't you glad to see me?"

She doesn't answer with words, she just presses her lips to his again and then leads him to the bedroom. She can hear him chuckling behind her, so she turns with her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Something funny?" She questions.

He reigns in his laughter and puts one hand up in surrender.

"No, not at all, it's just....you're kinda cute when you're on a mission."

She huffs and tugs on his hand again and moves towards the bedroom. She stops suddenly in front of the closed door, causing Stiles to nearly crash into her. Of course the one time she decides to let her pill run its course, would be the one time she is desperate for Stiles to be inside of her. She's on her fucking period. Well that certainly explains why she's been so emotional the last few days.

"What's wrong?" He asks from behind her.

She turns to face him.

"I can't....we can't....I'm on....no sex." She finally says looking up at him sheepishly.

He shrugs his shoulders and sets her with another smile.

"It's ok Lyds....I understand."

Dragging him into the living room, she grimaces a little when she sees the mess all over her coffee table. Her empty Chinese boxes are toppled over, the empty wine bottle sits off to one side, while the empty icecream bucket is completely upended.

"Wow, you really did have a bad day." Stiles remarks sarcastically, as his eyes roam the room.

She punches him softly in the stomach and he lets out an _'oomph'_. She gestures for him to sit, while she quickly tidies up the mess. When she returns to the living room, Stiles is on his phone. She sits down beside him and he immediately finishes up whatever he was doing. Then she pounces. They can't have sex, doesn't mean they can't fool around a little. Besides she doesn't know how long she has him for, so she is determined to make the most of it.

She moves to sit in his lap and he welcomes her, with his big hands finding purchase on her hips. Ghosting her fingers over his cheeks, she again wonders how long he is here for.

"How long do we have?" She asks, as his hands find their way under her pajama top.

"A couple of days, I have to be in Seattle by Saturday. I told the gang I would meet them at the hotel."

His lips find their way to her neck, kissing a trail all the way down to her shoulder. He pushes the fabric aside and continues to cover her with kisses. She pulls his face back up to hers and joined their lips together in a heated kiss. She can feel him growing underneath her and again she curses herself for not being able to feel him inside her. Then a wicked idea comes to her and she smiles against his lips.

First she runs her hand over him, before cupping his dick completely through his jeans. His head thuds against the back of the sofa as Lydias lips make their own trail down his neck. When she shimmies herself off his lap and goes to kneel in front of him, his head flies up and his eyes are wide. She watches as his Adam's apple bobs in his throat, when her fingers undo his jeans button. She slowly pulls the zip down, all the while keeping eye contact.

When her fingers dip behind the elastic band of his boxer briefs, he covers her hands and looks deeply into her eyes.

"You don't have to do that, I'm fine, honest."

She raises her eyebrows as she cups his hard dick, her mouth quirking up on one corner. He's very obviously not fine, with how hard he his. She removes his hand and continues to pull down his shorts. When he springs free, Lydias tongue runs over her bottom lip, in anticipation, as she takes in the sight of him. She lathes her tongue from the base to the tip and his hands have automatically gone to her hair. He doesn't pull though and the kindness is not lost on her.

"Oh fuck." He growls when her hand wraps around him.

Then her head moves up and down slowly, as her mouth and hand work in tandem to make him feel good. She hates that they can't have sex, because she wants nothing more than to have him inside her, but this will just have to do. Not that she minds, she loves how he tastes, and she especially loves the words and admiration that leave Stiles' mouth. She smiles around him, just before she hollows her cheeks, knowing that she has this affect in him.

~

Ten hours and he has to be back on a plane to Seattle. Ten hours and he will be leaving her behind again. When he heard her voicemail a few nights back and heard the sadness in her voice, he wasted no time in getting a flight to Beacon Hills to be with her. Quite a few times on this tour he has contemplated giving the whole thing up, because the last month and a half without her has been excruciating.

When he thinks about the fact that, after tonight it will be another five weeks before he sees her again, his heart hurts and his brain is muddled. He loves his job. Loves singing to the crowds, loves writing songs that touch people. What he doesn't love is how much it keeps him away from her. Even when he's not on tour, there's still hunderds of miles between them, because he has to be in LA for his career and she has to be in Beacon Hills for hers.

He sighs, as he leans on the half clad wall of the book corner in her cafe. He watches as she moves around the space with grace and a friendly smile. She's in her element here, and again he thinks, there's no way he could ever ask her to give it up. She thrives here, she loves her customers and her employees. In fact, it's not that much different to being in a band. Her customers are the fans, her employees are her band mates.

Her head lifts up to search him out, and when her eyes find his, a beautiful smile is resting on her lips. She sends him a small wave and he returns it. She gives a short nod in the direction of the kitchen, indicating she wants him to meet her there. He pushes off the wall, and with his hands in his pockets, he barely stops himself from running down the staircase. He finds himself wanting to run to her all the time lately.

He pushes through the swinging door, sends a wave to Kira on his way through the kitchen, and heads into the small office/staff room in the back. He only has to wait a few minutes, before the love of his life is pushing through the door and then heading towards him, with a steely look in her eye. She shoves him hard down into the chair and then she's straddling him. Her eyes stare intently into his and then she pushes her lips hard against his own.

His eyes close automatically, as he revels in the feel of her lips, that have a tiny bit of gloss left on them. He loves kissing Lydia. Fuck, if he could just kiss her for the rest of his life, he would die a happy man. Their kisses are always intense, frantic and heat inducing and by the time she's pulling away he's as hard as a rock. She leans her forehead against his, runs her fingers down his cheek, before pressing a more gentle kiss to his lips.

"I'm sorry I have to be here today." She apologises. "I know we only have a few hours left, but with both Erica and Mason out today...."

Her eyes drop to her lap and her hands play with the string on her apron. He lifts her chin up with his pointer finger and brings it back up to face his own.

"It's ok. Hey, I've had fun watching you today. Being in your environment, it's kind of relaxing, plus I get to watch my hot girlfriend do her thing."

She chuckles a little under her breath, before wrapping her arms around him. His head sits on her shoulder as he inhales her scent, committing it to memory, to last him the next five weeks. They stay like that for a while, before she is being called back out front by Malia. With her hands pressing against his chest, she leans in and kisses him again, before climbing off his lap, straightening out her clothes and heading back out the door.

An hour and a half later and they're back at Lydias place, making out on the sofa. His hands are under her shirt, splaying across her stomach, as she kisses him like its the last kiss they'll ever share. It sucks that they can't have sex, because he would love nothing more than to lay her down and take her right there, but it's not just the feel of her around him, they connect on such an intense level when they're joined together, that it has him wanting her all the time.

"Fuck I'm going to miss you, like so much." He says as she ruts up against him.

She just mewls against his lips, as his hands have found their way to her breasts. Even through her bra he can feel her nipples hardening. She stops kissing him and quickly disposes of both her shirt and bra, revelling her breasts to him. He wastes no time in engulfing one with his mouth. His tongue swirling over the hardened peak. Her back arches off the sofa when he bites down softly and he might just come right there in his jeans, if she doesn't stop rutting up against him.

He's lost in the taste of her, drowning in the sounds that she's making and he couldn't think of a better way to go. When she speaks though, her words are so profound and shocking that Stiles comes back to reality with a heavy thud. His hand stills and his mouth stops it's ministrations, as he looks up at her through his eyelashes. He lets go of her beast with a soft pop and holds himself up on his elbows.

"I want to come with you."

He's so blown away by the six words, that he can't think straight.

"I can't fathom another five weeks away from you, so I want to come with you, to Seattle and finish out the tour with you."

He's speechless, an anomaly that doesn't happen very often. He just lays there staring into her eyes, as he tries to get his head around what she is suggesting. She wants to go with him? She wants to abandon her cafe and spend the next five weeks living out of a suitcase? The mere thought at having her there, has his heart racing at a pace he's not sure he can control. It takes her saying his name to get his attention back.

"Stiles?" Her voice is small and unsure.

"But what about your cafe, your customers...."

She brings a finger up to his lips to silence him, and whatever other words he was going to say, get stuck in his throat at the smile she is sending him.

"The others are quite capable of running the place without me. I want to be with you."

He pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, she leans into the touch. He should be more adamant about her staying here, but he can't find it in himself to argue. He leans down and kisses her softly before whispering against her mouth.

"Okay."

Her eyes go wide and Stiles' heart fills up. They continue their make out session for another half hour, before Lydia climbs off the sofa, citing that she needs to pack, let the others know and hopefully book a seat on the plane. A couple of hours later and they're in the air. She was able to get a seat in economy, but after a quick word to the flight steward, she was upgraded to business. His fingers ghost along her arm, as he watches her chest rise and fall in her sleep.

When they land in Seattle, Stiles can't help the giddiness that stems though him at the thought of Lydia being here, in his world with him. They walk through the automatic doors hand in hand. When they step outside into the cold Seattle air, she shivers against him. His arm instantly wraps around her shoulders, pulling her close, trying to offer her some warmth. There's a black sedan waiting for them out front and Stiles wastes no time in bundling Lydia into the car.

"Are you sure you're ok with this? I'm not going to be cramping your style or anything am I?" She teases as she curls against him tighter.

A soft laugh leaves his lips at her anecdote. He kisses the top of her head, then turns her face up towards his.

"I love that you're here. I love that you want to be here and no, you won't be cramping my style. I can't wait to show you off to the world."

The rest of the ride to the hotel is quiet and Stiles is pretty sure Lydia has fallen asleep again. His suspicions are confirmed, when he has to shake her awake once they arrive. It's late, so Stiles doesn't expect anyone to be waiting up for him, but when he pushes through the front door, with Lydia under his arm, he's surprised to see Scott, Allison, and Isaac standing in the foyer. When they notice that Lydia is with him, they greet her like a long lost friend.

When they suggest a drink, Stiles looks to Lydia for her answer. She shrugs her shoulders with a wide smile on her face. So they leave her suitcase with the front desk and head into the hotel bar. They spend the next two hours drinking and Stiles and Lydia explain how she ended up here with them all. When they finally make it up to his room, they're both utterly exhausted and fall heavily onto the queen sized bed.

~


	10. Coalescence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tour - Well part of it anyway :-)
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Credit to the song writers and music makers for every single song in this story, because there's no way I'm poetic enough to write my own.
> 
> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Coalescence  
To blend or come together_.

Four weeks in and Lydia is having the time of her life. She never believed she would ever want for more than what she has, but living this lifestyle, travelling the country, being in love, it all makes her want so much more. Wether or not that's her heart talking, she's not really sure, because right now, wherever Stiles went, she wanted to go with him. Sure it's tiring, and realistically she knows that his world, his way of life, is not all its cracked up to be.

Constantly having to deal with the media, fans, and management would make the best persons head spin, but he does it all with a smile and an energy, that is a lot more subdued than she remembers from school. Every night he is up on that stage, he gives every song life. She watches most nights from a VIP box reserved for family and close friends. She shares that box every night with Isaacs girlfriend Cora.

They didn't get along straight away, Cora can often be moody and disgruntled. However after spending practicularly every single day with each other, they've formed somewhat of a bond. And without her friends from back home, she needed another woman around to keep her sane. Sure Allison was there, but she spent more time with the band, than she actually did sleeping, so any ideas Lydia might've had about spending quality time with the girl were quashed.

Right now they're sat in a room together, waiting for the band to come out. They were just finishing up their sound check. They sound incredible as always. At least they're nearly back in California. One more night in Las Vegas and then they head back to Los Angeles for the final leg of the tour. Lydia is still deciding if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Once they finish up in LA, she will undoubtedly head back to Beacon Hills and away from Stiles.

She doesn't regret coming with him, not one little bit, but it hasn't stopped her from wondering how things are going back home. She rings Kira every couple of nights, to make sure the place is still running smoothly. Kira just tells her not to worry and to enjoy herself. Her mother is the other person she rings often, regaling her with life on the road and being the girlfriend of a celebrity. Her mothers enthusiasm towards her status, is a lot more reserved than Kiras.

Lydia was shocked at first at the response she got, from being the girlfriend of one of the hottest musicians in the world. The media had a field day and the fans who all wanted to bed and marry Stiles, did nothing for her confidence. However after the third time of seeing herself pictured with Stiles, wether it was on social media or the latest pop magazine, she had built up a tough skin. Stiles had assured her that the nasty comments would go away eventually.

And they did. Now everyone swoons when they're photographed together, the media hypes them up to be the next biggest Hollywood couple, giving them a ship name and all. _Stydia_. She guesses it's better than trying to put their last names together. She's bought out of her reverie when she hears Stiles' and Scotts laughter filling the room. Instantly her mood picks up and she's out of her chair in an instant.

He greets her with a kiss. Any lingering worries she might've had, disappear as soon as his lips meet hers. It doesn't matter how far apart they are from one another, they have a connection that draws them back to each other. She presses her lips harder against him, for no other reason than she can. The kiss is over way sooner than Lydia had hope, and now Stiles stands with his arm thrown over her shoulder.

"Well, I think we're going to head back to the hotel, catch a few zzz's before the show." He announces to the room.

There's a few chuckles and one heavy scoff from Isaac and Lydias face blushes at their implications.

"Get your mind out of the gutter guys....geez." He scolds. "C'mon Lyds, let's leave the children to play."

With that he pulls on her hand, barely giving her a chance to grab her bag and then leads her out of the room and through a back door of the arena. The hotel is within walking distance, so despite the chill in the air, they walk with Stiles' arm over her shoulder and her arm wrapped around his waist. She is very aware of the cameras snapping around them, and the whispers of the passerbys, but Stiles leans into her a little more and just tells her to ignore them.

Contrary to what the others might think, they did actually ended up crashing, once they had made out a little. No more than a few heated kisses and gentle wandering hands, before both of them fell asleep. They're woken by a phone going off. Stiles sits bolt upright in bed, takes one look at the clock and the cusses into the empty room. She chances a look at the clock too and sees that they've over slept the alarm by half an hour.

"Fuck, god, I'm going to be late." He swears, as he moves around the room collecting his things.

She hurriedly climbs off the queen size bed and also gathers her things. Her and Cora are meeting them at the show. Except she needs to shower and get changed. So they shower together, before drying off and getting changed. He kisses her quickly before saying goodbye and heading towards the door. He stops abruptly and turns back, closing the distance between them and scooping her up in his arms, kissing her again, albeit a lot fiercer this time.

"Sorry." He says before pulling away.

She squeezes him tight.

"Don't be, now go, wouldn't want the star of the show to be late." She replies with a smirk.

"God, I love you." He says, placing a kiss to her temple and then turning to leave.

Once the door closes behind him, Lydia lets out a heavy sigh and goes about getting ready. There's an after party tonight, so she chooses skinny black jeans, a purple top and a cropped leather jacket. She pairs the outfit with black stilettos, smoky makeup and leaves her hair down. She is just checking out her reflection when there's a knock on the door. She grabs her clutch, that contains her lipstick, cell and room card and then answers the door.

"Hey Cora."

"Hi. You ready?"

"Yep, let's go."

She pulls the door shut behind her and follows Cora to the elevator bank. They don't have to wait long and before they know it they're walking out onto the street, where there are plenty of photographers waiting for them. Both girls straighten up their spines, hold their heads high and walk the short distance to T-Mobile Arena. They eventually make it to the VIP entrance and are guided through by security to _'their'_ box.

They take their seats and Lydia is a little surprised with the company that surrounds them. It's not like she hasn't met any celebrities before, _but shit_ , fucking Ed Sheeran is sitting four seats down from her. She may have fangirled just a little. There's plenty of other high profile singers and actors around them too, but Lydia is still reeling from the fact that her absolute idol is sitting next to her, about to watch her boyfriends concert.

They sit through the two opening acts, before a voice announces Iced Wolves. Lydia gets giddy every time the intro music starts playing. And when the lights come on to reveal Stiles and their friends on stage, she's the one shouting the loudest. The audience erupts, as the first few notes of their current number one song start. Then he starts to sing and Lydia disappears to a whole other world.

~

They've been in front of many big crowds before, this shouldn't bother him, but tonight he's nervous, something else that doesn't happen very often. Tonight they reveal their newest song. The one Stiles wrote, while he was waiting for a plane to chase after Lydia. One he started the first morning after she had arrived in LA. And tonight he was dedicating the song to her, so if somehow, nobody knew about their relationship, they certainly would after he sings this song.

Upon returning to LA from Beacon Hills, after he and Lydia confessed their feelings for each other and decided to give the long distance thing a shot, he corralled the group and immediately hit the studio to record the song. The rest of the band loved the song and told him it was one of the best songs he had written. It was recorded in one sitting, and his mood was sitting somewhere up in the clouds.

Their introduction booms over the arena. Their name echoing through the air. He takes in a deep breath, rolls his shoulders and unkinks his neck. Scott pats him on the back and Stiles turns to look at his best friend. He wears a reassuring smile, silently telling him, that everything will be okay and that she is going to love the song. Stiles nods his understanding and one by one they make their way out on to the stage.

The arena erupts with screams, whistles and applause. Stiles loves this rush. The feeling of being on stage in front of all these people, singing to them as if he was serenading them all individually. The four of them make a lap around the stage, making sure they wave to every part of the arena, before they they take their positions at their microphones and instruments. The stage revolves, so no one side of the arena is left out.

"Hello Las Vegas, you ready to party?" Stiles greets, his voice carrying across the sea of people.

More screams and applause push Stiles along.

"Right lets get this show started."

They've started every show off with the same song, so when the intro to the current number one starts playing, the crowd goes wild.

**_'One promise we made it_ **  
_**We said we'd never break it** _  
**_Don't look down be honest_ **  
_**Tell me has it changed?** _  
_**One life that we're living** _  
**_We're somewhere unforgiven_ **  
_**Don't look down, be real now** _  
**_Tell me has it changed?'_ **

They perform song after song, with hardly a breath in between. He knows where she is and has lifted his eyes to her every now and then. Stiles and Scott interact with the fans that are closest to them. The crowd is electric and Stiles feels like there's no better feeling in the world, except maybe being with Lydia. Then before he knows it the show is almost over. Only one more song to sing. He delibrately lifts his eyes to where Lydia and Cora are sitting.

"Thanks Vegas, you have been the best. Only one song left. I wrote this song a few months ago, for a very special lady. It's not on the album, but after tonight we will officially release it. So Lydia, this ones for you."

_**'I smile, you laugh, I look away**_  
_**I sigh, you ask me why, I say,**_  
 ** _It's ok and I am just feeling down_**

**_Your hand on mine I hear the words_ **  
**_If only love had found us first, our lives they would be different_ **  
_**But that was not the plan, oh** _  
**_Where would we be now baby, if we found each other first_ **  
**_Where would you do now darlin', if I said these simple words_ **

_**I'll wait** _  
**_I'll wait, as long as you want....'_ **

His eyes never wandered the whole song, and he swears amongst the thousands of people, he picked her out of the crowd. They finished the show out with three encore songs, before the lights finally went down and Iced Wolves left the stage. They piled into the green room, hugging and patting each other on the back on a show well done. He only has to wait moments before Lydia is flying into the room and nearly barrelling him over.

Then her arms are around his neck and her lips are pressing fiercely against his. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knows they have an audience, further endorsed by the snickers he can hear around them, but it doesn't stop him from gripping her hips tightly and surrendering to the kiss. They stayed joined like that, lips locked, hands holding firmly, for what feels like forever. He ignores the voices around him.

"Aww c'mon you two, knock it off." Isaac whines after the longest time.

Stiles slowly breaks the kiss, leaving one last peck on her lips before turning to the tall blonde.

"Jealous?" He smirks, before turning back to Lydia.

"I gather you liked the song then?" He asks as he holds her at arms length.

She nods her head.

"It was beautiful, was that what I heard you working on when I interupted you that first morning?"

All Stiles can do is give a quick nod before she's kissing him again. This time a lot more subdued and languid. Then she rests her head against his shoulder and holds on to him tight. His head rests on top of hers. They're bought out of their little bubble, when Allison announces that the cars are here to take them to the after party. He takes Lydias hand and follows the rest of their friends out to the waiting cars.

The after party was the same as every other one they had, except this time there were a lot more distinguished guests. Stiles has to admit, he definitely fan girled over the likes of Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lawrence and Fucking Dwayne Johnson. It was watching Lydia though, throughout the night, that had his heart a flutter. She didn't once flinch when she was introduced to celebrity after celebrity. She worked the room as if it were her party and that they were all here to celebrate her.

It had him remembering the words Scott had said to him all those weeks ago. _She fits in_. So incredibly well. He didn't want to think about what happens when they go their seperate ways after LA. This long distance shit is a lot harder than he ever imagined, and after having her with him constantly for the past few weeks, that distance is going to be hard to come to terms with. He shakes his head of the disturbing thoughts. He'll worry about it when the time comes.

The rest of the night is full of mingling, drinking, dancing and conversation. There's great food, endless alcohol and even a fricken cake. She never drifts too far away, constantly searching him out amongst the crowd. Ghosting her hands over his arms and linking their fingers togther, whenever they're close to each other. Camera flashes go off, reporters ask questions, and he's amazed that Lydia does it all with a smile on her face.

By one am, the whole group are stumbling into three seperate cars and heading back to the hotel. However instead of going off to their own rooms, they converge in Stiles/Lydias, and continue to party well into the morning. When Stiles and Lydia make it to bed, the sky outside is just started to change from pitch black to a purple. They were both far too drunk to do anything more than have slow, lazy sex.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A terribly long Authors Note
> 
> Iced Wolves Set List in order of performance.
> 
> Life Can't Get Much Better - Good Charlotte  
> Kids In The Dark - All Time Low  
> Sober - Blink 182  
> Voodoo Doll - 5SOS  
> Predictable - Good Charlotte  
> Independence Day - 5SOS  
> One Way or Another(Cover) - Blondie (One Direction version)  
> Kings and Queens - 30 Seconds to Mars  
> English Love Affair - 5SOS  
> Let's Love(Sung with Allison) - Echosmith  
> Lost Boy - 5SOS  
> California Rain - Madden Brothers  
> Disconnected - 5SOS  
> Teenage Satellites - Blink-182  
> Good Times(Cover-Sung with Scott) - Jimmy Barnes/INXS  
> Jet Black Heart -5SOS  
> Kicking And Screaming -All Time Low  
> Bored To Death - Blink-182  
> Boulevard Of Broken Dreams(Cover) - Greenday  
> She's Kinda Hot - 5SOS  
> I Feel Like Dancin' - All Time Low  
> Where Would We Be Now - Good Charlotte
> 
> Encore  
> Long Way Home - 5SOS  
> Irrestible(Sung with Allison) - Fallout Boy(Demi Levato)  
> Lost In Stereo - All Time Low


	11. Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm sorry for the delay in this update. RL has a way of deterring you sometimes. 
> 
> Secondly, I'm a terrible, terrible person, because I have also been writing another WIP, that has four chapters already. Remember terrible person, because I still haven't finished NF yet, although just quietly I'm only about three hundred words away from getting it done.
> 
> Back to CNC....I'm thinking probably two or three more chapters. I want to do one for Christmas day, one for New Year and one for....well you'll find out when you read this chapter.
> 
> This chapter has Lydia making a BIG decision and Stiles comes home for Christmas.
> 
> Enjoy xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Determination  
The act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose._

Commuting between two places is exhausting. Lydia feels like she never has enough time to recover. So she is exceptionally excited when Stiles tell her one night on the phone, that he and his dad are coming back to Beacon Hills for the Christma/New Year period. Something about them not being able to turn down yet another invitation from Stiles' grandmother. So in two days time he will arrive and Lydia has been in a rather good mood since he told her.

Even better is the fact that her cafe is closed for that whole week. Nothing to interfere with her Stiles time. They've even worked out an itinerary for Christmas Day. She has been invited to lunch at the Stilinski house and Stiles is coming to her mothers for dinner. Perfect. She gets the cafe ready for the day, with her head in the clouds and stupid smile on her face. When her regulars take their usual seats, they can't help but comment on her sunny mood.

"Why Miss Lydia, you're positively glowing." Ethel remarks. "What has you in such a good mood?"

Lydia can feel the blush that has crept onto her face.

"Um, my boyfriend is coming to town for Christmas." She replies lowly.

"Aah the young rockstar." Harold surmises. "He treatin' you good then?"

Lydia can only nod her response. She notices Ethel shaking her head a little, with a small smile playing on her lips. Lydia turns to her curiously.

"You young lovebirds must be pretty strong, surviving the distance and all."

"It's not ideal, but we make it work." Lydia answers.

After another few short words, Lydia writes down their usual order and heads back into the kitchen. Kira is putting together some new connection she has come up with, and looks up as Lydia walks in.

"Harold and Ethel here?" Kira asks in an amused tone.

"Yep, like clockwork."

She doesn't really need to write down their order, or show it to Kira, they've been ordering the same thing everyday, for as long as they have been coming here, but she does anyway, and then heads back out to help Hayden and Erica at the counter. The day goes by quickly and before long she is saying goodnight to her friends, before shutting up the shop. Kira waits for her to lock the door and then together they head down to the car park.

"So with Stiles being here for New Year, does that mean you're bailing on the party?"

Lydia turns to her friend shocked.

"No way. I'll just have a plus one."

They reach Lydias car, and because Kiras car is at the garage, Lydia is giving her a ride home. They climb in, put on their seat belts and then pull out of the parking garage. They fill the drive with idle conversation and discuss outfits for the big night. Lydia pulls up in front of Kiras house, the car idling as she waits for her to hop out. But Kira stayed sat, with a complacent look on her face, before turning to Lydia.

"How do you do it? How do you survive the distance? God I couldn't imagine being away from Dean for that long." She asks it almost all in one breath.

"I don't know, I'm not as strong as some of you might think I am. It kills me when I'm apart from him, but I love him and its that, that helps me get through."

"Do you ever think about giving up everything and just moving to LA to be with him?"

Lydia smiles at her friend.

"Everyday."

Kira nods, hugs Lydia and then hops out of the car. Lydia waits until Kira is inside and then pulls away from the curb. It's not until she's home in bed, after a lengthy phone call from Stiles, that she thinks over Kiras words. Could she do it? Could she pack up her life here and go and be with him? Could she leave her mother and friends behind? Could she give up the cafe? Six months ago, five months ago, even two months ago, the answer would've been no....now though?

She tosses and turns all night, her mind muddled with all the possibilities, and by five am she gives up trying to sleep and decides a shower might help clear her thoughts. She scrubs and scrubs, hoping that with the force she is using, she will wash her thoughts away. Half an hour later and she's no closer to solving her problem, so she puts the coffee on and heads back to her room for her phone.

She needs to talk to Stiles. She sits at the kitchen table, turning her phone over and over in her hand, waiting for the clock to tick over to seven. She knows he wouldn't mind what time she rang, but she waits anyway for a respectable hour to call. She needed Stiles to be alert and awake, when they have the conversation about what has had her up all night. Finally the time on her phone changes to seven am and she wastes no time in dialling his number.

When he answers, his voice is groggy and still full of sleep.

"Hello?"

"Stiles, we need to talk."

"Lydia?" He yawns through the phone.

"I know it's early, I need to talk to you about something Kira said that has had me up all night."

She can hear his footsteps padding across his bedroom floor.

"Babe, what's up? Hang on, it sounds serious, I'm going to need coffee." He says, his voice still sounding sleepy.

After he informs her that he has coffee, and that he is sat down and ready to listen, she starts. She relays Kiras words, then she describes in detail, why she hasn't slept a wink, all the while Stiles stays silent on the other end. She lists the pros: Stiles, They'd be a normal couple, no more travelling between LA and Beacon Hills and Stiles. Then she reels off the cons: giving up her cafe, being away from her mom, missing her friends.

"But I think I'm going to do it. I'm going to move to LA." She finishes.

"Wait, what?" Stiles replies, sounding very much awake now.

"I'm going to do it. I'm going to sell the cafe and my apartment and I'm coming to you."

There's a pregnant silence that stretches for the longest time.

"Stiles? What do you think?"

"I think maybe you should wait til I come back for Christmas, and we can talk about this more."

Lydias whole demeanour deflates and Stiles must hear the soft whimper that leaves her mouth.

"Lydia, this is a huge decision and one you shouldn't be making without a goodnights sleep." He explains, ever the voice of reason.

She can feel the tears building in her eyes, whether it's from his words or the zero sleep she has had, she can't be sure. She thought he would jump at the chance to have her there with him. They've never really discussed how they were going to move forward. Surely the only way this relationship is going to stand the test of time, is if one of them makes a decision. A saint wouldn't survive the distance, how are they expected too?

"I thought you'd be thrilled." She says softly.

"Lyds, I am totally over the moon that you would want to do that for me, and there's nothing in this world that I would love more, than for you to be here." He starts. "But let's sleep on the idea and talk about it when I fly in tomorrow."

She knows he is right. There's so many intricate details she needs to sort through. However, she's pretty sure it won't matter how much sleep she has, her mind is made up. She knew pretty much from the first time she saw him again, that she wanted to be with him, always. Other than her mother, she has never felt such a deep, profound love for someone. Forever doesn't explain how long she wants to spend her life with him.

"Okay." She relents.

"Okay, so I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"I can't wait, it's been way too long."

He says goodbye and she hangs up hesitantly. She sits momentarily, pondering all the ways she can make this work. Technically she knows it's not as easy as it seems. The cafe could take ages to sell, and without that money she really can't justify up and leaving it all behind. It would have to go to someone who is willing to keep the staff, there's no way she would want her choices to be the reason they're unemployed.

Then there's her mother. How do you leave behind the one person who you love and they love you unconditionally? Lydia has used the excuse for years, that she couldn't leave Beacon Hills because of her Mothers fragile state. But was she really that fragile? She has a steady job at the local Highschool, she has a small circle of friends that she socialises with. Maybe it was Lydia who has been the fragile one all these years.

She makes a call to Kira, asking her to open up. Kira doesn't ask any questions, which Lydia is truely thankful for, because she doesn't have any answers. Her body is exhausted after all the thinking she has done. She climbs into bed with her brain still muddled and no solid conclusions other than the fact that she wants to be with Stiles. Finally her eyes get heavy and Lydia falls into a deep, deep sleep.

~

Stiles sits fidgeting on his grandmothers sofa. He's itching to get to Lydia, but he has sat here like a dutiful grandson for nearly two hours, and listened to every little thing his grandmother has said. Doesn't mean he's actually heard anything. His father keeps sending him apologetic looks, knowing how badly he wants to see his girlfriend. They arrived in Beacon Hills two and half hours ago and it's been the longest two and a half hours of his life.

Four weeks is way too long to go without seeing his girlfriend, and the fact that she rang him yesterday with the news that she was ready to up and leave Beacon Hills, has him a little on edge. On one hand he is giddy inside with excitement that she is even contemplating the idea, on the other hand, he didn't want her making any rash decisions that she might regret later. Finally after what feels like a lifetime his grandmother announces she has errands to run.

Stiles has never bolted out of a house so fast in his life. He jumps into hire car and speeds out of the driveway. Fifteen short minutes later, he's pushing through the crowded mall, towards the love of his life. He slows down his pace as the cafe comes into sight, and stops ubruptly when he sees Lydia, laughing with one of her customers. She takes his breath away every time he sees her. Taking a deep breath, he continues towards the cafe.

He doesn't get her attention at first, instead deciding to take a seat at a table in the back. His eyes never leave her, as she meanders through the busy shop. He watches as she makes her way back to the service counter to retrieve another order. Then he notices Hayden tip her head in his direction. It's like slow motion when she turns around. When she sees who is waiting for her in the corner, Stiles can't help but smile at the excitement he sees there.

She practically runs to him and he stands to receive her in his arms. Then their lips are crashing together, their bodies pushing against each other, as they try to mould themselves to the other. He lifts her off the ground and she instantly wraps her legs around him. She doesn't seem to care that they have an audience. To be quite honest, neither does he. Finally when their lungs are screaming for oxygen they pull apart.

Her hands ghost over his cheeks and she admires him for a long while. When he puts her back on the ground, she musts holds herself against him tightly. And she fits like a glove.

"I've missed you so much." She mumbles against his chest.

He smiles into her hair and repeats the words. He can hear the customers around him tittering, it only causes him to hold her tighter. She removes her head from his chest and looks up at him through those long eyelashes. He goes weak at the knees at the sight. He will never get sick of staring into her beautiful green eyes, like they hold the answers to all of the worlds problems. Yep, he is a weak, weak man.

"How did you get away?" She asks as she takes his a hand and leads him towards the staircase.

"Grandma had a few errands to run."

There's only a few customers up in the book corner. They say hello to Lydia and run an exquisite eye over Stiles. He gets this a lot. Being a celebrity is certainly not the most private job in the world. After she shoos the customers away, they fall down on the sofa together. He puts an arm over her shoulder as her head rests on his. They're silent for a long time, just enjoying being in the same place together.

"So about what I rang you for yesterday." She begins sitting up to face him. "I haven't changed my mind."

"Lydia...."

She shakes her head.

"I can't stand it anymore Stiles not as strong as everyone seems to think I am, I hate being away from you all the time. It's not healthy."

"But what about everything and everyone here?" Stiles asks. "It's a lot to give up."

She leans into him and places a kiss to his lips. When she pulls away, there's a soft smile resting there.

"I know, and I know it's not going to happen straight away, but Stiles I want a future with you, that's not going to happen with us living in two different places."

He tries to tell her that maybe he could move back here instead, but she's having none of it. So instead he resigns himself to the fact that she is willing to give up her life here for him. He learnt a long time ago that when Lydia makes up her mind, there's absolutely no chance of changing it. So he pulls her in close for a bone crushing hug, kisses her desperately and whispers an 'okay' against her ear.

He chuckles a little at her excitement. She kisses him again before she says she has to get back to work. You'd think being the boss she could take a few hours off early, but that's not Lydia, and it kind of worries him about whether or not this decision she has made, is going to be the right one in the end. Don't get him woto Ng, the thought of having Lydia with him all the time is a dream come true, but what if in six months she decides it's not want she wanted?

He decides to let the rampant thoughts running through his head go. He moves down the staircase and follows behind her. He says goodbye to the staff and tells Lydia he is going to head back to her place. She answers him with a kiss and tells him she'll be back by six. Good, that gives him a chance to whip up some dinner for her. He loves cooking for Lydia and has found that he is pretty good at it.

A few hours later and they're on Lydias sofa, making out. Stiles has completely forgotten what they were watching, before Lydia straddled his lap. Now they both have their shirts off and Lydias skirt sits high on her thighs. Their lips are fused togther and Stiles' hands dig into the flesh at the edge of the skirt, one thumb teasing the edge of her panties. He pulls out of the kiss and maps a trail from her jaw to the column of her neck. Her head lolls to the side.

"Stiles?" She questions in a breathy tone.

"Mmm."

"Maybe....oh god." She mewls as his thumb finds its way under her panties.

He finds her clit in no time and starts to make small circle over it. Feather light at first then a little harder, causing her to writhe above him. Her hands immediately going to his hair, as his tongue swipes over her nipple. He completely encases her breast at the same time as he pushes one finger inside of her, and the noises she makes almost has him coming in his jeans. He can't wait anymore he needs to be inside her.

So removes his finger, grabs her ass and stands up from the sofa. Her legs wrap around his waist, her arms lock around his neck and then she's kissing him as if their lives depended on it. He stumbles all the way to her room, clumsily lays her down on the bed, causing her to giggle. He stands at the end of the bed for a moment, just taking in the breathtaking sight before him. Her hair fans out over the pillows, her breasts are pert and there's a pink tinge to her skin.

"God you're beautiful." He states as he lowers himself over her.

She welcomes him with wandering hands and then it's frantic chaos to shed the rest of their clothes. After standing to remove his jeans, he kisses his way back up her body. Starting with her ankle, then just a brush of lips over her inner thigh. He fumbles in the bedside drawer for a condom. She helps him put it on and then when their lips finally meet, he enters her. His head falls to her shoulder at the feel of her walls around him.

They rock back and forth with a well practise rhythm, before the tell tale signs of both their orgasms start to climb. He sits back on his haunches and pulls one leg up over his shoulder, watching the space where they're joined. She's the first to fall and it's the tightening of her walls around him that has him falling close behind her. He collapses against her, being careful not to crush her body as her fingernails leave half moon marks on his shoulder.

When they've both come down from their highs, he disposes of the condom and lays himself down next her. She automatically curls against his body, leaving barely there kisses over his chest. They fall asleep with whispered 'I love you's' and lazy kisses. As he drifts off, thoughts of Lydia living in his home -wait- their home and what the future holds for them, lulls him into the deepest sleep he has ever had.

~


	12. Prematurely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes you are seeing correctly. Another update. This chapter was a little hard to write. I knew I was going to write it quite a while ago, but it didn't make it any easier. Trust me I'm crying with you through this chapter :-(
> 
> Worst Christams Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Prematurely  
Occurring, coming, or done to soon._

Christmas Day was amazing. It was wonderful for Lydia to spend time with Stiles and his family. They welcomed her with open arms and made her feel like family and not a guest. Stiles' grandmother is a wonderful cook. They had turkey and roast chicken, vegetables of all varieties and dessert was incredible. They drank eggnog laced with brandy and by the time they were ready to leave, Lydia was feeling slightly tipsy.

Lydia thanks everyone when they're about to leave. Stiles' grandmother hugging her tightly saying she hopes she will come and visit again soon. Once inside the taxi, they wave goodbye to the three standing on the porch. They sit in the back of the taxi, with Stiles' arm over Lydias shoulder and her head buried against his chest. Her head is a little foggy and she giggles at anything Stiles says. They're heading back to Lydias place for a nap before heading over to her moms.

He practically carries Lydia inside, the alcohol teeming through her system is making it very hard for her to stand up straight. He lays her gently on the bed, and says he's going to take a shower. She watches through bleary eyes as he steps into the ensuite. She's not sure how long she lays there, before deciding she wants to shower as well. So on shaky legs she makes her way to join him, leaving a trail of clothes behind her.

The room is foggy with steam, meaning he has been in here for quite sometime. He obviously doesn't hear her come in either, because the look of shock on his face when she steps into the stall is priceless. She leans against him heavily and let's him start to wash her. First her hair, then her back, taking an extra long time when he reaches her ass. Then she turns and looks at him with desire in her eyes as he runs soap over her breasts.

She leans up and kisses him, an 'oomph' leaving his mouth when she pushes him hard against the tiled wall. His hands have a firm grip on her ass, as her mouth moves over his jaw, down his neck and along his collarbone. She smiles against him at his reaction to her falling to her knees. She teases his hip with her fingers, replaced by soft kisses once she wraps her hand around him. She looks up at him just as he throws his head back against the wall.

His eyes are closed and soft noises leave his mouth. He lets out a fuck when her tongue lathes from the base to the tip. And when she completely encases him with her mouth, he jerks against her. His hands involuntarily go to her hair and she loves the fierce grip he holds. Her own hands grip onto his hips as she moves over him. And when she hollows out her cheeks and takes him all the way in, she feels his knees buckle slightly.

"Holy fuck Lydia." He growls as she speeds up her motion.

He gently pulls her head away, watching her with such desire in his eyes. When she sends him a look of confusion, he pulls her up against him, kisses her hard before removing his lips and speaking.

"I need to be inside you." He explains before kissing her again.

He switches their positions and now has her pushed up against the wall. Her hands are braced against the cool tiles as he enters her from behind. Their moans echo off the shower cubicle as he moves slowly inside her, stretching her, hitting a spot so deep inside her, that she comes straight away. He takes a bit longer, but Lydia doesn't mind as her second orgasm is already building. So when his hand comes down and starts rubbing her clit, they fall over the edge together.

Two hours later and they're heading to her moms place. Her mom still lives in the same house Lydia grew up in. The taxi drops them off, and hand in hand they make their way to the front door. As Lydia swings the door open, she calls out to her Mom.

"Mom! We're here." She practically yells into the empty living room.

When her mom doesn't answer, she starts to search the house. First the ground floor and then she frantically runs up the stairs, Stiles hot on her heels, when she hears music coming from the master bedroom. Her mom hasn't slept in that room since the day Lydias father left. She calls again, and again. When she gets no response, she pushes open the door and screams when she sees the sight before her.

Stiles rushes past her to check for a pulse, Lydia moves a lot slower, taking in the empty pill bottles and empty bottle of wine, surrounding her mothers lifeless body on the bed.

"Lydia. Lydia!" Stiles yells, getting her attention. "There's a pulse, you need to call 911."

Lydia doesn't move, she can't take her eyes off her mother laying prone on her bed.

"Lydia!"

"O...okay."

She takes our her cell with shaky hands and calls 911. When the operator answers, Lydia has a hard time finding her voice. The operator prompts her again by asking what her emergency is, and it's like flood gates open and she starts crying the details into the phone. The operator calmly asks her for the details and then tells her they will send a response team over straight away. After the call ends she collapses to the floor.

Then everything is a blur, as Stiles patiently tries to keep her mother alive long enough for the paramedics to get there. She doesn't even notice the paramedics arrive. She is curled up against the wall near the door. She vaguely remembers Stiles coming to sit down next to her, and then wrapping her up in his arms as she cried against him. At some stage he helps her into the back of the ambulance, but she is still so numb and doesn't register anything that is being said.

A while later she sits in a plastic chair next to her mothers bed, in a hospital room and stares blankly at all the tubes and machines around her. She's in an induced coma and in a critical condition. The next twenty four hours will be touch and go. Stiles sits behind her in an armchair. She hasn't spoken a word to him since she rang 911. She feels awful about that, but her mother just tried to kill herself, what is she suppose to say?

She can't help but think about why her mother did this? She had seemed fine. Or had the presumption Lydia had made a few days ago, about her mother being strong enough without her, been incorrect. She had no idea her mom had been so unstable. She decides right then and there, that if her mom makes it through this, she will stay in Beacon Hills. She can't up and leave her now, knowing she is so miserable with her life, that she tried to end it.

She takes her mothers hand and brings it to her lips, placing a soft kiss there. She hears movement behind her, meaning Stiles has gotten out of his seat. He places a hand to her shoulder before saying he was going to get coffee. She just answers with a stiff nod. She hears him sigh, but she still can't find it in her to speak. This woman is the only family she has. She can't even imagine a life without her in it.

She must fall asleep because she is woken by a voice she hasn't heard in a long time. Her father. She stands up suddenly and turns and faces him with a look that should have him six foot under. She scans the room for Stiles, but he's nowhere to be found, so she straightens up her spine, juts out her chin and pushes against her father hard with her hands. The action sends him flying through the open door.

"What the fuck are you doing here." She snarls with narrowed eyes. "You have no right being here."

He doesn't get a chance to respond as the loudness of her voice attracts the attention of a few nurses. They come over to settle the situation down but Lydia is having none of it.

"Get out! Go! We don't want you here."

She watches as his shoulders deflate and his form slumps. The anger coursing through her doesn't allow her to feel any sympathy towards the man who walked out on them. Then it's hits Lydia like a tonne of bricks. He walked out, on Christmas Day, eight years ago. Her blood is boiling as she moves towards him again. Just as she comes within feet of her father, she sees Stiles coming back through the double doors. It doesn't nothing to cage her anger.

"You did this. You're the reason she tried to kill herself." She accuses, pushing a finger into his chest. "I hate you, now leave."

She turns on her heel and heads back into her mothers room. Shes exhausted by the time she sits back down in the chair.

~

He's still trying to get the image of Lydias mother, almost dead on her bed, out of his mind when he walks back through the double doors. He comes to a stop when he sees the situation before him. Seeing her father standing there, a man he hasn't seen for eight years, has Stiles' blood boiling. He looks over the mans shoulder at Lydia and is shocked to see his normally placid girlfriend, all fired up. Not that he blames her. This man ruined her life.

She yells at him and then turns and heads back to her mothers room. Stiles can't move for a moment. That is until Lydias father turns to leave. When the man sees Stiles standing there, his face blanches. Stiles narrows his eyes at the short man before him. He wants to hit this guy, but he has two cups of boiling hot coffee in his hand and he certainly doesn't want to burn himself. Instead he starts to move towards the room, wanting to get to Lydia as soon as possible.

He stops just before he passes him.

"You're not welcome here, and if I were you, I would leave right now."

Then he continues on to Lydias moms room, without looking back to see if the man took his advice. He finds her slouched over the edge of the bed, her body wracking with sobs, her mother laying lifeless next to her. The sight has tears forming behind his eyes and he can't control the one that slips down his cheek. She must sense him, because she slowly lifts her head. When she sees him she flies into his arms.

He holds her close, whispering _'sorry'_ and _'I love you'_ into her ear. She sobs against his chest. Her tears staining his shirt. He runs his hand up and down her back trying to comfort her, but he doesn't have any words that could possibly make this situation better. So he just holds onto her and let's her cry. After her body stops shaking, she looks up at him with red rimmed eyes and her bottom lip quivering.

"I'm sorry." She says.

Stiles looks at her confused.

"You've been wonderful and patient and I've ignored you the whole time."

"Lydia, you don't have to apologise for being upset." He states placing a kiss to her forehead. "I wouldn't be anywhere else right now."

"Thank you."

She places her head back on his chest, wrapping her arms around his middle. They stand like that for the longest time. It's her name being said through a husky tone, from behind them, that has them separating. Lydia moves to her mothers side and leans down and hugs her as best she can, with all the tubes in the way. Stiles stands behind her watching the scene before him. He can't hide the relief that her mother is awake.

"I'm here mom, I'm not going anywhere, everything is going to be okay." Lydia says against her mothers forehead.

"I....I'm s...sorry." Mrs Martin croaks back.

"Ssh, it's okay, you're okay. Just rest." She assures her.

Lydia turns to Stiles.

"Can you maybe let someone know she's awake?"

He nods and heads out of the room. He frantically searches the area for a nurse or a doctor. It's not until he walks halfway down the hallway he sees someone.

"Hey....Um Natalie Martin is awake." He tells the nurse.

Together they rush back to the room and the nurse starts to check over all her vitals. Stiles stands in the doorway watching it all happen. Lydia doesn't let go of her mothers hand the whole time. Somewhere in the middle of it all, the nurse pages Mrs Martins doctor. A tall man in a white coat comes in and he too starts to poke and prod Lydias mother. Feeling useless, Stiles leaves the room and falls into an uncomfortable chair right outside her door.

He puts his head in his hands and let's the emotion of everything wash over him. He's more of a mess than he thought he was. Being in the hospital is bringing forth memories of when his Mom was here. Trying to fight a disease that had consumed her. Swiping a single tear from his cheek, he gets up out of the chair and decides to go for a walk. He makes it as far as the elevator bank, before he hears Lydia calling his name from behind him.

When he turns he finds her only a few feet away.

"Where are you going?" She asks softly, not a trace of anger in her voice.

"Was just going for a walk, needed to clear my head. Was feeling pretty useless in there." He answers not looking at her completely.

She closes the distance between them and runs a hand up and down his arm. She reaches up with both hands and cups his face. Without any words she joins their lips together in a somewhat messy kiss. As she moves her lips over his, he can feel the emotion rising to the surface again. By the time they separate they both have tears falling down their cheeks. Stiles pulls her close and holds on for dear life.

"You're not useless you know." She says against his chest. "Just you being here is keeping me sane."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to desert you, it's just....its-." He can't seem to bring himself to say the words.

Lydia holds him at arms length and searches his face. He lowers his eyes as he swipes at a lone tear, a soft gasp leaves her lips when she puts two and two together.

"Oh Stiles, Im so sorry. I completely forgot." She apologises. "Are you okay?"

He shrugs his shoulders.

"I will be."

She's the one to pull him close this time. He leans his chin on her shoulder, as she tries to comfort him. Quietly she whispers in his ear.

"Why don't you go home and get some rest. There's not a lot either of us can do at the moment."

He looks down into her eyes.

"What about you?" He questions.

"I'm going to stay the night. Moms still pretty fragile. She's stable at the moment and sleeping again, but I need to be here."

He understands. He remembers spending quite a few nights, sleeping in an armchair just like the one that Lydia plans to sleep in.

"How about I go back to yours, shower and get you a change of clothes, than I can be right back?" He suggests. "I really don't want you to be alone."

She leans up and kisses him again.

"Sounds like a plan." She answers with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you back here soon."

"Okay."

He walks her back to her mothers room. Mrs Martin is still sleeping, so he kisses Lydias forehead again and turns and leaves. He practically runs to the front doors once he's exited the elevator. As luck would have it, there was a cab idling right out front. He jumps in and gives the cabbie Lydias address, asking him to go as quickly as he can, without actually speeding. Once at Lydias place he pushes through the doors and goes about getting back to her as soon as possible.

It takes him just over an hour to get everything organised. He even rang his dad, Scott and Kira to tell them what had happened. They all offer him well wishes and he accepts them humbly. After he hangs up from Kira, he grabs her car keys and heads back out the door. Just as he is climbing into the car his cell rings. He pulls it out of his pocket to see Lydias face flashing back at him. Probably checking to see when he'll be back.

"Hey babe, I'm just leaving."

"S....Stiles...." She's crying again. "She's gone."

"What?" He asks his head a little clouded.

"My mom, she's gone, she went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't bring her back."

He's been gone for just on an hour and a half, how could that have happened in such a short time? His voice has disappeared as he listens to Lydia cry on the other end.

"Okay baby, hang on I'm coming."

He doesn't hang up though, keeping her on the line the whole drive to the hospital. He parks and then frantically runs to the elevators. When he finally arrives at the room he left Lydia and her mom in, Lydia sits there, staring out into nothing. The bed next to her is empty, so they've obviously moved her mothers body. He quickly moves to squat in front of her. He takes her face in his hands and tries to get her to look at me.

"Lyds? Lyds, sweetheart look at me please." He begs.

She brings her eyes up to be level with his and his heart breaks apart into a million pieces. There's tear tracks down her cheeks, eyeliner and mascara smeared under her eyes, which are puffy and red rimmed. All he can think to do is pull her into his arms. She doesn't respond, her arms hang by her side and her body slumps against his own. Her catatonic state is what ends up making him cry as he tries and tries to get her to respond.

The rest of the night drags by in a blur. Somewhere during the night he must've rung his dad, because they sit in the back of the rental car, as his father drives them back to Lydias childhood home. It wasn't his choice to go there, but Lydia insisted on going back to start sorting out funeral arrangements. He tried to tell her there was plenty of time for that, but she had gone from being unresponsive, to determined in a matter of hours.

He follows her into the house, his father close behind. They share a look as Lydia wanders aimlessly through the house. Her hand ghosts over the back of the sofa, before she moves to another room, seemingly trying to commit the place to memory, or holding onto all the memories from when she lived here. Stiles walks his father back out to the car. The older man hugs his son, before holding him at arms length.

"She'll be okay son, this is her way of coping." His father tells him.

Stiles nods in agreement, before saying goodbye to his father and heading back inside. Lydias not anywhere downstairs when he gets back, so he heads upstairs and starts to search the rooms up there. He doesn't find her in the room they found her mother in, instead she is curled up in a ball fast asleep, in what use to be her old room. It hasn't changed much since the last time Stiles was here. The lack of posters on her walls, being the only difference.

He climbs into the double bed beside her, pulling her against him and whispering promises and words of comfort into her ear. That's how they fall asleep late on Christmas night. The worst Christmas night ever.

~


	13. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The final chapter. I know I said there might be one more, but I was happy with how this chapter finished, so I ended the story there.
> 
> I want to thank everyone who has commented or hit the kudos button. It's been a wild ride hey. I've loved every minute of writing this story. 
> 
> PS: Look out for my new fic 'Outback Living' which I will be uploading over the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All credit to the TW creators. All mistakes are mine.

_Home.  
The place where one lives permanently._

The week and half after her mother passes away, Lydia operates on autopilot. She hides her grief from everyone, everyone except Stiles. She couldn't if she wanted to, he was the one constant. Stiles stayed and helped her with the funeral and was basically her rock the whole time. They skipped over New Year, instead bringing it in on Lydias sofa while she cried relentlessly against Stiles' shoulder.

The funeral of course was hard. Beautiful, but extremely difficult to sit through. A ton of people showed up. All her friends from work of course, and even Stiles' dad was there. Lydia was surprised when the other three members of Iced Wolves turned up. There were also a lot of people she didn't know, all offering her condolences. She banned her father, nearly going so far as to get a restraining order out against him.

The burial was quick, just a few more words, before the coffin was lowered into the ground. Then everyone took turns in throwing dirt into the six foot hole. This is where Lydia lost it completely. Collapsing next to the grave, wailing like a banshee, not caring who was watching. And as usual, Stiles had been right there next to her. Holding her tight against his chest as she said goodbye to her mother.

Now a month later, Lydia sits in an office, listening to the lawyers read out the will. Stiles had to go home a week ago, and it was the hardest thing she's ever had to do, letting him go. But she promised him she would be okay. Kira and her coworkers will look out for her and Stiles' grandmother made Lydia promise, that she would join her for dinner once in a while, until she made a decision about what to do with her mothers house and the cafe.

Her and Stiles didn't talk much about the decision she had made before Christmas, however now more than ever she desperately wants to leave Beacon Hills. There's nothing for her here now, except the cafe, which she had decided to try and sell a while ago. She's lost in thought, as the extremely old man behind the oak desk, rattles off thing after thing. There's nothing in there that she doesn't know already, this is just a formality.

As soon as the meeting is over she contacts a real estate agent, for both the house and the cafe. The apartment is leased, which ends next month anyway. Once she's sorted out that she makes her way to her cafe. Still pretty much on autopilot, she navigates the store. She spends most of her days in the back now anyway, still too heartbroken to interact with people. When the store closes for the day, Lydia calls a staff meeting.

"Thanks for hanging back guys." They all just nod at her.

"So the reason for this meeting is to let you know I've put the cafe on the market. Once it's sold I will be moving to LA. I can't be here anymore, there's too many memories. So I wanted to give you all a heads up in case you wanted to look for other work. I have stipulated that the crew comes with cafe, so none of you will lose your jobs."

There's silence around the book corner as everyone shares knowing looks.

"You sure about this Lyds, it's a big decision to make and you love this place?" Kira asks, coming to sit down next to her.

"I do, but I had made the decision to sell before....before...." She shakes her head a little. "Well I had decided before Christmas anyway. I love Stiles and I want to be near him, I want a future with him, so this decision isn't sudden."

The meeting takes all of half an hour and then Lydia is saying goodbye to her crew. She sits on the comfortable sofa and closes her eyes briefly, letting her emotions wash over her. She's never known life without her mother in it. Every birthday, Christmas and vacations spent together. Her mother was her best friend and now she was gone. She lets the tears fall and her sobs fill the empty space. It's her phone ringing that makes her pull herself together.

Her mood improves as soon as she sees Stiles face on the screen.

"Hey beautiful." He greets.

"Hi Stiles, God your timing couldn't be more perfect." She answers through a few lingering tears.

"What do you mean?"

"I did it Stiles, I put the house and the cafe on the market. As soon as the cafe sells, I'm coming to LA." Her heart soars a little at her own words.

There's silence on the other end.

"Stiles?"

"I'm here, sorry, I was just picking myself off the floor."

Lydia laughs at his anecdote. It's the first time she's laughed in a long time.

"You sure you're in the right head space to do this?" He asks cautiously.

"There's nothing left here for me. I want to be with you, I need to be with you."

"Well then, I better make sure I clear out the closet." She can hear the humour in his voice.

This is one of the things she loves so much about him. He knows how to get her out of a funk. He knows how to lighten the mood. He makes her believe anything is possible, and right now she needs that belief more than ever. She thanks her lucky stars everyday, for him being in her life. They talk for fifteen minutes, before Lydia hears someone calling his name in the background. She doesn't recognise the female voice, she's certain it doesn't belong to any of the band members.

"Coming! I've gotta go. We're recording a new song." He tells her.

"Who was that?" She asks, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Oh no one, well not no one, because obviously it's someone, just a singer were collaborating with on this new song." He explains.

"Oh okay, who is she?"

"No one that you'd know, she's fairly new to the music scene."

The foreign voice calls out to him again.

"I have to go. I love you, so much."

"I love you too Stiles." She whispers into the mouthpiece.

"Call me tomorrow. Sleep well my princess."

After a beat he hangs up. Lydia can't help the spike of jealousy that seems to come from nowhere, towards the unknown female. She wish he'd told her more about this mystery singer. Deciding she would ask more questions tomorrow, and pushing down the unusual feeling resting in her stomach, she pulls herself up off the sofa and heads down the stairs. She wanders around the empty shop for a little bit, before closing and locking the door behind her.

She arrives home later than normal, choosing instead to visit the cemetery. Probably should've just gone home, as she spent an hour sitting near the headstone crying. She runs a bath and pours herself a wine. While soaking in the hot water, that unsettling feeling is back and Lydia can't help but think that Stiles is keeping something from her. He didn't even give her a name. She shakes her head of the encompassing thoughts and sips slowly on her wine.

Once the water starts to cool, she climbs out of the bathtub and wraps a towel around herself and heads straight to her bedroom. She changes into her sleep clothes and climbs into bed. She grabs her iPad from her bedside table and opens up her Facebook. She scrolls through her news feed, liking and commenting on a few of her friends posts. When a red number one comes up on her notifications tab, she opens up the notification feed.

_'Stiles Stilinski was tagged in a photo'_.

With her curiosity piqued, Lydia clicks to open the photo. Her eyes go wide when she sees a picture of Stiles with a stunning brunette sitting next to him. Her name is Bianca Ingles. The caption reads. ' _Making music with this handsome fellow'_. Then the hashtags follow. Lydias stomach lurches as she reads them all, her eyes drifting back to the beautiful girl sitting too close to her man, making goo goo eyes at him. Well at least now she knows why he didn't give her too many details.  
She slams her iPad shut and grabs her phone, quickly bringing up a new message with Allisons name attached to it.

**_To Allison: Who is Bianca Ingles? L x_ **

She doesn't have to wait long for a reply.

_**From Allison: Stiles didn't tell you?** _

**_To Allison: Not really?_ **

**_From Allison: She's the singer we're collaborating with. She's kinda new to the music scene and is under the same label as us. So they thought it would be a good idea to have her sing with us to launch her career._ **

**_To Allison: Does she have to do it sitting so close to my boyfriend?_ **

She can't help the jealousy teeming through her. There's a few minutes before her phone dings, except it's not Allison, it's Stiles.

**_From Stiles: Hey, are you okay? Allison demanded I text you straight away. Said I had some explaining to do? xx_ **

She takes her time reading the words. The kisses at the end, make her heart melt. She's not use to these insecurities that seem to be invading her body. He loves her. He tells her all the time. There's absolutely no reason to be jealous. Sure the girl is beautiful, with her long brunette hair and legs that seem to go on for miles. Eyes shaped like almonds, with lashes so long, they look like they would tangle up together everytime she blinked.

She shakes the thoughts from her head and chastises herself for being such a teenager. She quickly types out a reply.

**_To Stiles: I'm fine. I love you xx_ **

**_From Stiles: Love you too Lyds. Talk to you tomorrow xx_ **

~

Stiles stares at his phone completely baffled. He's trying to figure out why Allison had said he needed to talk to Lydia. They finished recording the song half an hour ago, when Ally stomped over and demanded he text Lydia. So he did and now he's completely confused as to why Allison was so adamant. He makes his way over to where Scott, Isaac and Allison are talking to Bianca, and gets Ally's attention.

They move to a quieter part of the studio.

"So what was that all about? Lydia said she's fine."

Allisons eyebrows raise a little on her forehead.

"Of course she said she was fine. She doesn't want to upset you."

"What does that even mean?" Stiles asks as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Check Facebook, then you'll understand." She replies turning and heading back to the group.

Stiles fumbles with his phone and quickly opens his Facebook app. It's the first thing to come up on his news feed, because someone had recently commented on it. Now he knows what Allison was talking about. From an outsiders point of view the picture looks to be quite intimate. But if Lydia saw this, surely she can see that he is looking at the camera and not at the girl sitting next to him. Taking another look, she seems to be leaning into him. Oh no!

"Fuck." He growls as he quickly brings up her contact number.

He hits the call button and fidgets while he waits for her to answer. But she doesn't, it goes straight to voicemail. So he tries again and again and again, only to get her voicemail everytime. He leaves a message asking her to ring him straight away. He pushes his phone into his pocket and runs his hands through his hair. Surely she can't think....no he refuses to believe that Lydia would think that lowly of him.

He rejoins his friends only to tell them that he's heading out. He sends Allison a knowing look and she replies with a curt nod. They drove themselves to the studio tonight, so Stiles climbs into his faithful blue jeep and pulls out onto the main road. The whole way back to his apartment, his mind is in overdrive. He needs to talk to Lydia. Needs to explain the photo. He gets back home in record time, pulling into the driveway and climbing out of his jeep.

He checks his phone over and over as he ambles through the house, an absolute mess. He takes a quick shower, keeping his phone as close as possible just in case. He tries to ring her again after he's dressed. Still no answer. He doesn't leave another message. He convinces himself that she is asleep and isn't ignoring his calls. So with his phone next to his head, he falls asleep, a worrying feeling settled in his stomach.

She does call back though. The shrill of his phone wakes him in the early hours of the next morning. He sits up abruptly, reaching to where he remembers his phone being, but just comes into contact with the sheets. He searches the entire bed, only to find it buzzing on the floor with another incoming call from Lydia. He snatches off the ground and quickly swipes the screen to answer.

"Lydia....oh thank god. You have to understand I have absolutely no intrest in Bianca." He tells her frantically.

"So she has a name now?" Lydia replies her tone slightly indifferent.

"Cmon Lydia, I've just spent the last three weeks with you, you have to know I could never do that to you." He states nervously running his hand through his hair.

"I know." She answers a little defeated. "I plead temporary insanity."

Stiles laughs nervously on the other end.

"You did see the picture though right? Because the way that girl is looking at you....well."

"I don't care. She's not my type at all." Stiles replies without a beat. "I love you Lydia, _you_."

"I know. I guess I just miss you." Lydia says.

He knows the feeling. He's missed her every minute he's been away from her. He misses her touch, her kisses, her smile. He hates that he had to leave her. Hates that they're so far away from one another. Hates that she's still suffering inside and that he's not there helping her out. Hates that this has happened to her at all. The sooner she gets out of that town, the better. He can't wait to wake up next to her everyday and help fight her demons.

"Yeah, I miss you too."

They talk for ages, before Lydia says she has to get ready for the day. He hadn't even realised it was pushing eight am. He reassures her again that she has nothing to worry about and then they say a lengthy goodbye. After the call ends, Stiles lays in his bed, one arm behind his head the other slung over his stomach, as he stares up at the ceiling. His mind wandering to a thousand different places. He falls asleep with images of Lydia swimming behind his eyes.

Two weeks later and he's pacing with a nervous energy at LAX, waiting for Lydia to come through the arrival gates. She's not coming alone though. Stiles' grandparents have made the trip as well. After Christmas, his grandmother had stated that she doesn't get to see her boys often enough, so one night when Lydia was having dinner with them, she invited them to come along. Fortunately they will be staying with his father.

Finally he sees her strawberry blonde hair, so he pushes through the crowd to get to her. When she sees him, her face lights up with excitement. She jumps into his arms and then they're kissing, not caring that they have an audience. The whole world disappears and it's just him and Lydia. No one else exists as their lips battle together. It takes a matronly voice from behind Lydia, to bring them back to reality.

They seperate and Stiles can't help the blush covering is face at being caught out by his grandmother.

"What, no hug for your grandma?" She asks teasingly.

Stiles smiles at her and pulls her into a warm embrace.

"Hi grandma, granddad." He greets, as his grandfather offers him his hand to shake. "Let's get your luggage."

So the four of them walk to baggage claim, Stiles and Lydias hands are joined together and he doesn't plan on ever letting go. His grandparents talk animatedly next to the besotted couple. This is only the third time they've been to LA, so the enormity and craziness of it all still astonishes them both. They grab the suitcases and then Stiles leads them out to the car. Stiles watches Lydia stifle a giggle behind her hand, as his grand father takes the front passenger seat.

Half an hour later and he pulls into his fathers driveway. His dad is at work, so it's up to Stiles and Lydia to get the older couple settled. They spend the afternoon with his grand parents, sharing tea and coffee. When his granddad falls asleep in the armchair, Stiles takes that as their cue to leave. He's desperate to get Lydia home. Desperate to be alone with her. His grandmother sees them out, and Stiles promises her that they'll come by tomorrow.

Finally, three hours after Lydia arrived, they're alone. Currently they're half naked on his sofa in his Star Wars room, hands wandering, lips exploring. They barely made it through the door before their mouths were joined in a heated kiss. Lydias suitcase still sits near the front door. He hovers over her, settled between her legs, with her heel digging into his ass through his jeans. He lifts her a little and undoes the clasp of her bra.

When her breasts are free of the garment, he wastes no time in taking her in his mouth. His tongue swirling and manipulating the nipple. She arches against him, their centres crushing together causing heat to swim through his veins. Her hands ripen through his hair and beautiful sounds leave her mouth. He comes back up to join their lips together and kisses her deeply, before leaning his forehead against hers.

"Fuck I've missed you."

She smiles up at him through long eyelashes and Stiles can't help but think how wonderful it is to see her smile like that again. They eventually make their way up to the bedroom and he worships her body completely. After they've both come, they lie together, with Lydias head on his chest and her hand making small circles over his abdomen. His fingers ghost over her back. She pushes up and leans on his stomach.

"I have some news." She says suddenly with a sparkle in her eyes.

Stiles looks at her confused.

"I sold the cafe."

His eyes go wide and he sits up a little bit straighter.

"Really, already?" He can't contain his excitement.

She nods as she straddles his lap. The sheet falls off her.

"Kiras parents bought it for her, she's the new owner."

"So that means, you mean...."

"Uh huh....It means I can start packing." She says as she places a kiss to his cheek.

"It means, you and me together." Another kiss this time to his nose.

"It means you better start making room for me in that closet."

She doesn't get a chance to kiss him again as he flips them over, causing her to giggle. Then he covers her face in kisses. It doesn't take long for them to be joined together again. They move to a well practised rhythm, mewling _'I love you's'_ against each other's skin. This time when they come together, Stiles can't help but think that this was his home. It didn't matter what town or city they lived in, Lydia in his arms is home.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again everyone for reading xx


End file.
